Tears of Revelry
by Mendeia
Summary: A world in chaos on the brink of war. A secret alliance with the intent to change the world through five very unique young men. A young woman driven to the heights of power with a goal for peace and hope for all. War is so much more complicated when all sides can bend the elements. In the year After Comet 195, the world will rely on five very unlikely saviors. Updated weekly.
1. Before the Day is Done

Please see the end of the chapter for my copious notes. Normally I'll put my commentary up here, but there was so much to say, I figured I should leave it for the end this time. Except for this: SPOILERS for the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender ahead!

Enjoy!

* * *

Introduction: Before the Day Is Done

* * *

In the year After Comet 195, the world faced chaos and war on an unprecedented scale. Even the war 195 years prior, when Avatar Aang had defeated Fire Lord Ozai in the battle that became the most pivotal moment in history, paled in comparison. Avatar Aang had fought against a dangerous man's agenda and a Fire Nation bent on domination and destruction. But in the end, his defeat of that one man, and the simultaneous defeats around the world of that one agenda, had wrought peace.

In a world with no Avatar, there was no voice to unite the fracturing nations.

The conflict had begun generations earlier, almost at the same time as the birth of Republic City. For centuries, the world had existed in a balance of four nations – the Air Nomad peoples, the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation. With the merging of borders after what had become known as "The Fire Lord's War," those four boundaries became more and more meaningless. Not only in cities, but even families might have representatives from multiple origins. Whole lineages merged and split and merged again until the Old Four were but a portion of the world. Republic City, founded by Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko as a haven in occupied territories for those peoples no longer truly of either the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom, had become a diverse and multicultural nation in its own right, as powerful as the Northern Water Tribe. Dozens of other cities, islands, valleys, and the like boasted of different benders living side-by-side for the betterment of all.

The map of the world could no longer be drawn in the colors of the Old Four; now, it was a true rainbow of peoples and cultures that had grown up as the world came together.

It should have led to a time of peace, and for the first century or so after Avatar Aang, with the exception of a few moments of darkness, peace had been realized. The world no longer stood divided by blood and bending. When Sozin's Comet returned 100 years from the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai, it was to a worldwide celebration in which every firebender made use of their powers for purposes other than war. And yet old resentments lingered, festered, and found new fertile ground in the struggles of this new reality.

By After Comet 150, the majority of the world's population lived not under the Old Four, but under the many new factions that had arisen and had begun their clamoring for recognition and independence. The Old Four largely resisted such efforts (excluding the Air Nomad peoples, who had regrown in strength and had no intention of maintaining a nation – their people were free to do as they wished as ever) and calm discussions gave way to furious confrontations. The Avatar of the time, Avatar Yuy, urged all peoples to work together towards a peaceful solution.

For twenty years, Avatar Yuy managed to keep the political situation of the world more or less under control. He advocated for the right of self-determination for those conclaves that wished it, pressed for equal regard for all people, benders or not, and maintained a message of prudence and patience with the ever-spreading influence of the independents. He argued that change was inevitable after The Fire Lord's War, but that such change should be approached respectfully and cautiously on all sides. He kept a council of friends and advisors with him, including members of the Order of the White Lotus, and began laying the groundwork for a world in which the Old Four made way for the new nations without bloodshed; he was a peaceful earthbender at heart and led with steadiness.

But a force rose up from an unknown source, and even Avatar Yuy could not find its roots. He only knew that men and women, benders and non-benders alike, had taken up arms and threatened a war, even as their goals remained shrouded in mystery. They became known as the Order of the Black Lotus for their divisive acts and their ruthless mentality. Yuy was hard-pressed to keep them in check and conflicts erupted all over the world as suspicion and violence grew and fostered amidst the political mistrust.

At last, Avatar Yuy called on the Black Lotus forces to face him fairly, that he would attempt to arbitrate their concerns and address their grievances. But for all his canny knowledge of the politics of the Old Four and the emerging nations, Yuy could not have anticipated the lengths to which his opponents were prepared to go.

Before dawn the day of the meeting and while still traveling to the meeting-place, Avatar Yuy was ambushed by an overwhelming force. He fought back valiantly, but he was desperately outmatched. Many of his friends and advisors fell in the battle, and their spilled blood angered the even-tempered earthbender as little in all his long life. Avatar Yuy invoked the Avatar State and rose to put an end to the conflict once and forever.

But history is a repeating dance, and some things return at the worst possible time. In perfect mimicry of a once-princess's attack on Avatar Aang, a bolt of lightning struck Avatar Yuy as he rose into his cosmic self. This time, where before Aang had been rescued and saved by the waterbender Master Katara, the waterbenders who might have saved Yuy were already dead or scattered. Avatar Yuy was killed in the ascended Avatar State, and like a mountain splintering in two, the Avatar Soul was broken.

The Order of the Black Lotus rejoiced in a frenzy of triumph, but with their work now done, they vanished from the public eye. The world raged and mourned and quaked in terror for a future with no Avatar, and the Old Four rose up to comfort and protect their people, strengthening their holds and quelling the desire for self-determination in many lands. The independents were silenced as fears about security and safety overrode freedom, and the rainbowed colors of the world were pushed back into the more-regulated red, blue, and green that had always dominated.

But true peace was no longer possible. Even without the Avatar, there were those who hated the Old Four more than they were now afraid, and they turned to even greater desperate lengths to liberate themselves or to strike back. The world was heading for a war unlike any ever seen before, a war of nation against nation, family against family, some fighting for freedom, others for revenge, and like a panicking flock of birds they scattered and cared not what they struck in their fear and fury. Even the ancient Order of the White Lotus seemed powerless against the coming strife.

And so, a few members of the Order gathered together to hatch a plan that, they hoped, might be the saving of the world. The Avatar was long dead and the line of rebirth broken, but perhaps there was another way to unite the world once more and defeat the forces of divisiveness. They acted without the rest of the Order, for their plans were intricate and could not bear even the well-meaning influence of their compatriots. Five old men spread across the world and quietly prepared.

Until, in After Comet 195, the signal from their leader reached the others.

"Begin Operation Meteor."

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A/N: So, a few things to make clear:

1.) This will be a very loose retelling of Gundam Wing in the world of A:TLA, with lots of changes as the story progresses. I have no intention of following the plot directly, so don't be surprised when we veer off the rails. The story is totally done, with one chapter up a weekend, so no worries – I know where we're going when we divert.

2.) I have never watched Korra and am taking this as an AU of A:TLA. I've only lifted one major plot point from Korra and I did it accidentally – when I was scouring the online wikis and resources, I stumbled upon the article for a new place called "Republic City" that is a Korra addition, and I liked it. So that shows up here, but it isn't the Republic City directly from Korra. It's geographic location is the same, and a little of its history or culture, but everything else comes as a consequence of how I am rewriting this AU.

3.) A major facet of this AU is that the events of Korra never ever happened. If you've never seen Korra, you're in good shape. If you have, sorry – none of that occurred. I started this story before the first season of Korra had even been aired, so my innovations were here first! So there, ha.

4.) I was helped immensely in the writing of this tale by a soundtrack of sorts. The chapter titles all come from lines across 4 different songs that were my major inspiration. As we go, I'll let you know what those songs are and, in one case, where you can find an absolutely kick-ass AMV for A:TLA that shows you why this song stuck with me the way it did. If anybody can figure out how to make an AMV for Gundam where the boys are benders, I will love you forever.

5.) This story will be the main tale, but because there is just too much here, I'll be producing some number of oneshots (probably 8-10) to accompany it after the whole thing has been posted. If someone has a burning idea for one, let me know. I really, really enjoyed writing in this universe and I'm not quite ready to let it go yet. I hope as we get into it, you'll see why!

Lastly, the cover art was done by me, with a tiny bit of help from a friend. If anybody wants to produce art to add, though, just let me know. I'll post any pictures on the AO3 version of the story.

I think that's it! Hopefully all my notes from here on out will be short enough to go at the beginning of the chapters instead of the end. Feedback is welcome, but for now, sit back and enjoy the adventure to come!


	2. Smoke in the Sky

Okay, one short note: There are just too many characters in Gundam Wing who are blond for me to get all the way through an A:TLA version without explaining it somehow – I went for the "it's a genetic aberration" line. After all, we're dealing in a world where the peoples have mixed together a lot more, so certain recessive traits could be more pronounced. Maybe. Just go with it, thanks!

Also, subsequent chapters will get longer. No worries.

Enjoy!

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Part 1: Smoke in the Sky

* * *

It was a fairly quiet day in Ba Sing Se, the sun bright and warm and the streets quiet in the innermost ring. Here, a non-bender's stone-throw from the Earth Kingdom palace, the ripples that tore and pulled at the rest of the world were as far away and easy to ignore as the clouds high in the sky. It was the deep and rich part of the summer when the earth practically sang in contentment and the gardens were lush and perfect.

Relena strolled along the sun-warmed stones of the paths between her home and the nearby cluster of reflecting pools. From here, if she stood on a boulder and stretched to her full height, she could see over the walls of the inner tier and beyond the outer two rings to the wild land beyond the city. She had never really left Ba Sing Se, though she knew her father had dealings in other places. It had never really occurred to her until recently how much more was out there. Idly, Relena wished for the sort of adventure she had read about in the stories of Avatar Aang and his friends.

Later, she would reflect on the irony of that thought's timing.

That very moment there was a loud cracking noise from off to her right. Relena thought it must be a few of the local earthbenders in a match and ran to take a look – as a non-bender, she was fascinated with all four forms of bending and couldn't keep from watching it every chance she got.

But she had only just rounded a copse of stout trees when she stopped in surprise.

Through the clearing, the ground was completely torn up as though something large had crashed into it from above. The trench led back to the very wall of the inner ring, which she could see from her vantage point was crumbled and broken. Not as if it had been struck, though – Relena knew earthbending when she saw it.

A bit of movement caught her attention and she looked down in surprise. Lying in the furrow in the earth, just starting to come around, was a boy. His hair was dark brown, and as she watched, he got to his feet, something shiny falling to one side as he regained his balance.

"Are you all right?" Relena called hesitantly.

The boy snapped to attention as if struck, his intensely dark blue eyes widening at the sight of her. His hand flew to his face as if to conceal it, but she had already seen him. His eyes darted around and he grabbed for the shiny thing that had slipped away.

It was a mask.

Quicker than her eyes could track, the boy pulled the mask back over his face. It was a fearsome visage with slanting eyes that looked as if they glowed, half-hooded in a representation of an ancient Earth Kingdom helmet. He leaped up the embankment and sprang to her side and Relena stepped back in sudden fear.

"If you tell anyone what you saw," he rumbled in a deep, cold voice, "I will kill you."

The breath chilled in Relena's chest and her throat constricted. But the boy started to run, and between his natural speed and his ability to spring off the earth with bending, he vanished in moments. Relena had not even overcome her shock when a squad of the city guards arrived, led by someone in another mask, but this one familiar; he was Zechs, one of the Earth Kingdom's top generals, and she happened to know he lived nearby. The soldiers paid her no attention and instead began immediately repairing the damage to the wall.

Relena slipped back into the trees and walked slowly down the path in vaguely the same direction as the boy. Taking a deep breath and wondering at what had just happened, she looked at her hands. She wondered what his would have felt like, had she gripped them in greeting.

"My name is Relena. What's yours?"

-==OOO==-

The harbor was almost a deep purple reflecting the darkening sky by the time the last ship had docked and its cargo unloaded. What had once been a base for the Fire Nation navy in the southern waters had been reclaimed over many generations as a Water Tribe outpost, a fair-sized city north of the tribe's traditional icy waters. The traditionalists still lived at the poles, but there was much prosperity to be found for waterbenders willing to offer their abilities in the service of travel and commerce.

A lithe form detached from a shadow and crept away from the crates and barrels towards the city. Ice Haven still bustled even with the coming of night. One more person sliding into the rhythms of the passersby was negligible, nearly invisible.

No one looked closely enough to see the vivid eyes, the long plaited hair that was tied with a mesh of woven grass A shade, a ghost, nothing more substantial and no more remembered or noticed as the crowds thinned.

"Nice knowing you," the unremarked individual snickered quietly, sliding between houses until there was a clear path via the rooftops to the central square and the building beyond that was the seat of power in Ice Haven officially, and the Mid-Water Tribe unofficially.

A nearby fountain splashed merrily, and the shadow took advantage, making a running leap to land on top of the gushing water that held him up as solidly as if he had leaped onto a stone. Another jump and he was ensconced behind the chimney of a large house colored to look like a whale curing around its sides.

He crouched and waited.

-==OOO==-

Half a world away, a young man with hair hooding his face followed the circus caravan he had joined through the main gates of Republic City. Looming before and above him, the heart of the first and only independent nation seemed to glow golden in the setting sun.

"Come on, lad!" the circus's ringmaster clapped him on the back. "Time for sightseeing later. Now that we've got our permit, we need to set up the tents so we'll be ready for tonight."

"Yes sir," he answered softly, turning away.

But the air had a scent here that drew his attention back to the city again and again, knowing what he would find there, knowing what he would have to do. He could smell the ash and char of firebenders on the very wind, hear the echoes of crackling flame in the distance. He could feel the moisture of waterbenders and their fountains. The city had once been fairly small, but now Republic City was nearly the size of Capital Island of the Fire Nation. It was not organized the same way as Ba Sing Se, and the center gleamed with tall buildings set with bright stones and crystals that made it shine in the fading light. It should have been reassuring.

It wasn't.

He let out a long breath and with it the cares of the world. First, his duty to the circus. Later there would be time for his duty to himself and his cause.

-==OOO==-

"State your business," the soldier said monotonously, barely even listening to himself in his boredom. The line stretching out from the gates was particularly long, dozens of people waiting to get in, and it was growing near to dinner time. Not how he wanted to spend his day.

"Delivery of supplies," came the response.

The soldier looked over his list, noting several different deliveries were due in the next few days, depending on how long travel took. He glanced at the two wagons waiting in line and noted the symbol on the caravans as one of the larger trading depots to the east. He gestured to the two other men guarding the gate to inspect the cargo.

While waiting for them to check for anything forbidden, he looked over the person who appeared to be in charge of the delivery. From the height, he suspected a young man, probably learning his father's trade, though he seemed a bit young to manage two wagons through the mountains by himself. He wore a cape of a nondescript brown with a hood, but bright blue eyes were evident when he looked up. But there was something…

"Take off your hood," the guard ordered curtly.

The boy let out a breath and raised his hands to push back the hood, looking up almost defiantly.

"By the stones," the guard found himself reaching out. "I'd heard of it, of course, but I'd never imagined…"

"It's becoming quite common," the boy said defensively, but he didn't flinch from the touch. "It's not anything special. Even the Fire Lord's granddaughter has it."

"Sure but…I never thought I'd see it out here." He ran his fingers through the boy's hair, marveling. It was the color of bright gold in the sun. "Thought it was only in families with some Nomad in their blood." He looked more carefully at the boy. "But you're not…"

"No, I'm not," he said. Then he smiled and the expression made him look gentle and sweet. "Do you mind if I go in now? It's been a long trip and I'd like to rest a bit."

The guard looked over at his two men, both of whom had stopped their search in surprise at the youth's strange appearance. Belatedly, they shook their heads, signaling nothing was amiss.

"Of course. Welcome to Folly's Fortress."

-==OOO==-

On a warm mountainside, a black-haired young man gazed out across the peaks that rose up from the sea, many still steaming and smoking from their unquenchable fires that not even earth and ocean could smother. From his vantage point, he could see so much of the ancestral Fire Nation, from the glimmer of the Gates of Azulon in the distance to the black curls of soot that rose still from Crescent Island in the east. From the moment of the death of Avatar Yuy, the island of the rebuilt Fire Temple had emitted a dark shroud of a cloud, as though the island itself were weeping for the Avatar.

"Foolishness," he said roughly, turning away.

The dead were dead, and curse the Avatar for allowing himself to be numbered among them. Because of that earthbender's failure and shame, the world faced danger now and honor was in short supply. The world itself was becoming the pawn of the strong who cared nothing for the weak, or for what was just.

"Bitterness, little one?" a gentle voice whispered in his mind, his memory. "You're just angry because of what you perceive as your own failure when no one else in the world would blame you."

The young man took a deep breath before spinning to punch the very rock behind him, emitting a blast of flame as he did so as much to vent his feelings as to keep his fist from meeting stone and causing injury. His fire scorched the mountain but left him unburned, which still seemed like mockery somehow. Fire was supposed to _hurt_.

Shaking himself, he collected his emotions at once and turned towards the path again. He had some walking yet to do before reaching the boat that would carry him to Capital Island, and no more time to spend wasting on the weakness that had brought him here.

-==OOO==-

At moonrise that night, five cities awoke in terror.


	3. To Burn Your Kingdom Down

Okay, I decided that was a deeply unfair place to leave the story for the first upload. Here's one more to really get things moving.

(Also, I lifted a name for this chapter from a character in Gundam Seed Destiny. It seemed to fit.)

Enjoy!

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Part 2: To Burn Your Kingdom Down

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In Ba Sing Se, Relena was startled out of her bed by the shaking she had always been taught was impossible – the sheer number of earthbenders in the city meant it could never be bent by any but the full united forces of the Earth King's army. But she drew a wrap around her and looked out her window to see everything, from the front garden to the palace outlined brightly against the dark sky, trembling.

Heedless of her mother's cry after her, Relena dashed through the house and raced out the door.

Others were running towards the palace too, many of them guards. She ducked from the press of them to one side, dodging between trees on the avenue that led to the broad square before the palace. She hid herself against the stone monuments that led to the massive stairway where she could had a clear view of the grand entrance to the palace.

At the top of the stairs, an earthbending battle, the likes of which Relena had never seen, was crumbling the very walls of the inner sanctum of Ba Sing Se. A small form bent the earth and the rocks of the palace's own foundations, crashing them chaotically in every direction. As more guards appeared and lit torches, a glint of metal shone and Relena gasped in recognition.

It was the boy she had seen that afternoon, wearing his mask.

A moment later, with dozens of earthbenders now crowding up the increasingly-decimated stairs to the fight, the boy spun a sharp kick and drew up a chunk of earth. With a technique Relena had never seen before, he continued the kick to drive the rock towards the rush of guards, then executed a flip to land on top of it. He seemed to sink into the stone itself as the boulder cleared the way down the stairs. His enemies flattened, literally, the boy burst from what remained of his earth shield and started to run.

And Relena found herself following. She glanced back only once to see the shining hair and mask of the Lightning Count, General Zechs, looking after the boy from atop the wall but making no attempt to pursue him.

-==OOO==-

In Ice Haven, those houses closest to the administrative building had barred doors and windows, the people within hiding and shivering. Waterbenders or simply Water Tribe, they knew what they had seen and each and every one had chosen to hide rather than fall prey to it.

For across the square marched the city's own sentinels, stiff and silent to a man.

In front of the central building, a few guards remained, poised to attack their companions and yet hesitating.

"Big mistake," whispered a voice. From amidst the ranks of the marchers, a lone figure emerged. He wore all black, a long braid swinging behind him, face obscured by a black mask that was shaped like a nightmarish sea serpent. His hands snapped out and the guards felt their water drop away from them, their bodies locking rigidly in place.

"It's him…" one half-cried out in terror. "The death spirit Shinigami!"

"Close enough," the figure remarked. With speed, he dashed forward and pressed a hand to the chest of the nearest guard frozen before him. The guard never even gasped before falling limply to the ground. He practically danced to the others, doing the same, until only the silent army at his back remained.

"Go on then," he waved, quirking his fingers into harsh shapes.

The men responded, silently marching forward in a wave to break down the doors of the building. There were more guards here, who quickly struck to freeze their attackers in blocks of ice. It was a brutal fight, the men marching inexorably forward while those stationed within tried desperately to freeze and repel them.

Until all at once, the attackers dropped bonelessly to their knees, begging for mercy and surrender. As the waterbenders came forward curiously, none noticed the shadow that slipped through the chaos and into the building.

-==OOO==-

Republic City was a bastion of interconnectedness and alliances. Or, rather, it had started that way in the After Comet years. But not long after the untimely death of Avatar Yuy, Republic City had fallen from its idealistic path and become a hotbed of squabbling factions and political maneuvering. The city-state might have gained independent recognition from the Old Four decades prior, but by After Comet 195 it had become a piece of the greater conflict, a supposedly neutral force that, in reality, could be swayed by the highest bidder. The city had once been governed by the Republic City Council, which had advised the Chairman, the individual empowered to negotiate directly with the leaders of the Old Four. But the Black Lotus had been active here, too, and in only a few years whittled away the power of the Council, until only the Chairman, a man of their own making, ruled the city-state.

Chairman Dulindal sipped his sake delicately, looking over his city with pleasure. His palatial residence, built only in the last year, afforded him an unparalleled view of Republic City and its outlying lands. It wasn't quite as grand or as well fortified as one of the Old Four capitals, not yet, but with the correct efforts, he had every intention of raising his city-state to true equality with the more predominant nations. And, to do that, he needed to ensure that he drew strength from whatever forces might lend it.

Hearing the door open behind him, the Chairman turned. It was a guard, one of the many he kept bound to himself with loyalty, like beliefs, and ample rewards. He might not know the man's face, but he could hardly be expected to recall the dozens of soldiers and benders who had sworn him allegiance. Having his own private enforcers not only ensured him the power to control the populace, but also to keep the Council in line when they were inclined to stand against him.

"What is it?" he asked impatiently. "I thought I made it clear I was not to be disturbed. Who gave you orders to come up here."

"No one did," came the reply.

The long-haired soldier drew something from beneath the tunic that fluttered at his chest. It was a mask, blank as a smooth stone or an unused parchment. As he brought it to his face, the tunic he wore began to flutter even more.

"An airbender!" the Chairman realized with horror. He had no airbenders on his force – they were too unwilling to obey orders.

He opened his mouth to cry out, only to have the very air stolen from his lungs.

-==OOO==-

"And so, thanks to Fong's legendary stupidity in attempting to battle against Avatar Aang in the fullness of his Avatar powers, this outpost has become known as Folly's Fortress in his dishonor."

The guard sat back down to approving nods. New visitors always wondered about the oddly-named Earth Kingdom holding, and the tale of General Fong's arrogant attack against the Avatar and his allies in the year of the Comet always made for good evening entertainment.

But the moment was broken when a young man came racing into the mess hall, pale and sweating, eyes wide with terror.

"Fire!" he cried. "Fire in the north tower!"

"Evacuate the barracks," ordered the most senior captain in the room as his men scrambled to their feet. "Are there any waterbenders present?" As a few visitors raised their hands, he nodded sharply. "Come with me. The rest of you lot," he raised his voice over the scraping of benches and the rattle of armor, "man the battlements in case this is more than an accident."

The scene outside was pure chaos. Merchants and others who had sheltered within the walls overnight were racing to their wagons and rushing for the open gates, where they were permitted to leave mainly to keep them out of the way. The entire north tower was lit by flame, heat pouring off it like sweat as fire burst from every arrow-slit, window, and door. As the men fell into formation and began waterbending and earthbending to try to control the flames, the rest fanned out on along the broad walls, looking keenly into the night for danger. In less than an hour, the fire was contained.

As the commander of Folly's Fortress strode forward to meet with his officers, one of the guardsmen let out a shout, punching a round boulder into the air and after a moving shadow. A moment later, two guards on the eastern wall fell to the ground and a glint of color flashed in the dusky hue of the burning embers. The commander swallowed reflexively in surprise and sudden fear.

"The Blue Spirit!"

-==OOO==-

On Capital Island, less than a day's travel from the main city, shouting rose within a training ground for new firebenders when the dormitory was set on fire.

"Everybody out!" Noin yelled as she bolted through the hallways, ashes and still-burning embers dropping on her unprotected skin from the flaming ceiling above. "Don't try to bend it! Just get out!"

The students, some of them not much more than a dozen years of age, rallied to her voice and began behaving more like proper children of the Fire Nation and less like frightened farm animals. The older ones began using their own firebending to clear a path through the rapidly deteriorating building and to shield the others.

"You'd think a firebending school would be built more resiliently," Noin almost grumbled to herself. But then, the Fire Nation wasn't usually too keen on asking earthbenders to craft their homes either, stupidly, in her opinion. It was half a miracle she was here at all, in fact.

As a portion of the ceiling above her started to collapse, Noin reacted instinctively, slamming her fists upwards and raising a portion of the earth beneath the tiled flooring to support it. Then, seeing that most of the students were clear of the building, she drew the earth around herself and pushed herself up on another pillar, breaking through the flimsy roof to where she could see the area more clearly.

Standing almost on her level, perched on the head of the statue to General Iroh that dominated the school's courtyard, was a figure dressed in white, wearing a mask. The light glinted and she recognized the emblem of the Sun Warriors proudly shining on the mask's brow. The figure lifted his arms and a new conflagration of flame burst into the air around him.

Noin had only a moment to realize that he intended to kill her.

-==OOO==-

Relena raced along the paths she knew so well, making good use of her natural swiftness. Only a furlong from the palace she finally caught up to the retreating figure.

"Stop!" she shouted. The figure before her froze and she sprinted even harder to catch up to him. But when she was two steps away, the ground itself opened, dropping her suddenly and locking her in place as stone closed around her legs.

"I warned you," came the low voice, and the boy turned around, his mask glinting in the moonlight.

"I know," Relena replied stubbornly. "But I don't care about that. Besides, you're hurt!" she pointed to where blood trickled down his arm from a shard of stone.

The boy said nothing, nor moved a muscle as Relena tore at her wrap until she had a length of cloth. She held it up and waited. After a moment, the boy bent and she wrapped it around his arm. She could feel his tension where he was ready to spring at the slightest wrong move. Forcing her hands not to shake, she completed her task quickly.

"What were you doing at the palace?" she asked as she tied the ripped cloth tightly.

"It's better if you don't know more than you already do. I should kill you," he replied in a very cold voice.

"But you haven't. And I don't think you will. Just tell me. Why are you doing this?"

He turned away and she thought he wouldn't answer. Then, from a pocket of his clothing he drew something out and tossed it to her. Even in the dark, Relena could make out the Earth Kingdom sigil on a piece of heavy black metal. Not the kind used for armor or doors or anything else that was normally metalbent. This was…

"Weapons?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Not anymore," he answered. Then he bent close to her, and Relena could see his blazing eyes through the darkness of the mask. "I'm going to leave you here. They'll find you sooner or later. Scream if you want it to be sooner. But if you come after me again, I _will_ kill you. Stay out of this war. It's no place for you."

He started to walk away when Relena called after him. "My father is Darlian, and he's part of the Earth King's inner circle. He would never have allowed us to make weapons again! The Earth King doesn't want a war!"

The boy stopped and, without turning back around, laughed bitterly.

"It's not the Earth King I'm worried about." And he disappeared into the night.

-==OOO==-

In spite of all the noise downstairs, one lone guard remained at his post, knowing all too well that there was nothing important enough to draw him away from his duties, especially during an attack. He eyed the nearby cauldron of water, absently stirring it from a distance as though in readiness. He longed to know what might be happening, but he could not leave the corridor.

He probably should have. The only warning he had was a shadow moving swiftly in his direction. Then he felt his whole body seize up as though locked in place.

"Don't fight me," whispered a low, mocking voice. "I won't kill you if I don't have to, but fight me even a little and you'll be dead in seconds."

Then there were two sharp jabs at his chest and his body fell limply to the floor. He couldn't move at all, not even to turn his head.

"I'm going to leave you there, still breathing, if you don't make a sound. If you try anything, though, you won't have time to be sorry."

The guard was loyal, and he knew the importance of what he protected, but something in the fiery, mad eyes behind the fearsome mask told him that the threat was in no way empty. He swallowed against a very dry throat and dropped his eyes. He had a life to think about.

But he watched the shadowy figure in the unagi mask slip past him into one of the rooms beyond. He heard rustlings and the sounds of boxes being opened, but without being able to see into the room, couldn't guess what the shadowy figure might want, what might have drawn such danger here. Within moments, the strange individual returned, an obviously full sack slung across his back.

"It'll wear off by sunrise," he said, standing over the paralyzed guard. "Thanks for not making me kill you tonight."

And the thief slid back into the shadows, slinking through the corridor until there was no telling where he had gone.

-==OOO==-

The Chairman himself was a firebender, so he fell into an offensive position and launched a jet of flame, hoping to knock the unknown airbender off balance enough to gain some kind of advantage. Almost nonchalantly, his opponent dodged the blast, simultaneously pulling the Chairman forward from the balcony with a grip of wind and slamming the double-doors closed behind, trapping them both in the room.

"You are corrupt. You want nothing more than your own power and to serve your masters in leading this world to war," the airbender said, dropping to a crouch. "You cannot be permitted to follow through with your plans."

"My plans are none of your concern!" Dulindal growled, still feeling oddly out of breath. He knew if a person was high enough up, on a mountain or riding a creature capable of flight, that the air would be thinner and breathing could be difficult. But in his own chambers?

"They became my concern when you betrayed your position."

The Chairman suddenly realized that the airbender had never quite stopped moving, and that he seemed to be breathing rather hard himself. But not in exertion. As though...

"You're going to suffocate me!" he stepped back in horror. "How is that even possible?"

The airbender smiled grimly and did not answer.

Dulindal let loose another blast of flame, this one igniting several pieces of furniture. The airbender whirled in place, and as he did, the fire grew larger and hotter as he fed it with air. And now it was clear that he had created a great sphere of wind surrounding them both, and with each passing moment seemed to be drawing the air from within it.

"You're an airbender," the Chairman spat. "You don't kill. It's your way."

"Don't confuse airbenders with Air Nomads," he replied almost mockingly. "It's a fatal mistake."

The Chairman charged forward, fist poised to slam the airbender with as much strength and fire as he could call upon. At the last instant, the unknown airbender leaped until he was balanced on top of the large sphere of wind, looking down.

"You are finished."

The air around him seemed to _snap_, and the Chairman clawed at his throat when he could not inflate his lungs. He dropped to his knees, soundlessly screaming.

The last sight before the world faded to nothingness was the blank, empty mask.

-==OOO==-

It only took the commander a moment to regain control.

"Stay on the walls!" he ordered. "I'll take care of this spirit." But even as he drew a thick column of rock upwards to reach the level of the parapets, he wondered if this was such a good idea. The Blue Spirit was legendary, a force that only showed itself in times of true turmoil, and always acting to assist the Avatar. It had not been seen since the death of Avatar Yuy, and rarely before then – perhaps once or twice in a generation. Except in the time of Avatar Aang, of course, when it had proved to be ferocious and deadly.

If this truly was the Blue Spirit, the commander had no idea what he would do about it.

But this was a time for action, not contemplation. He moved along the parapet quickly, heading towards where he had seen the flash in the dim light of that distinctive face. He was about halfway between the burned-out north tower and the message relay tower when he spotted something moving again.

"Stop! This is my fortress," he said firmly. "Whatever your purpose, I cannot let you harm my men or the merchants who shelter here."

There was a pause, and then the form stepped more clearly into the light. Its body was basically person-shaped, but instead of hands it bore two curved, wicked-looking blades. And the face – there was no denying that was the face of the Blue Spirit, oddly red reflecting the flickering light of the dying flames.

The spirit raised one of its bladed hands as if in salute and backed up slightly.

Suddenly the figure went sort of blurry, as if obscured by smoke. Without moving, without so much as shifting position, it rose up into the air. The commander felt a new prickle of sweat break out on his forehead – that was no airbending feat, but a true spirit power. Even airbending masters had to move to do something like that.

The spirit hung in the air like a mysterious moon for a moment before whatever made it appear so fuzzy increased and the figure vanished. When the strange cloud fell away, there was no sign of the Blue Spirit.

No longer stilled into inaction by surprise, the commander rushed forward. But there was nothing to see. The rock looked as it always had, crunching underfoot with ash and rubble from the incident. Peering over the edge of the wall, the commander could only see the darkness the ocean and the rocks below. He ran a hand through his hair and turned back to his men.

"Get this place cleaned up and get those cowardly merchants back in here before they fall into the sea in a panic," he said. "I've got messages to send at once."

-==OOO==-

Noin managed to bring up a portion of the earth pillar she had created in time to hold back the flames and protect herself. The instant the fire stopped streaming from either side of her shield she dropped it and prepared herself to fight.

Her opponent had disappeared.

But a moment later she spotted him again. With a jet of flame from each hand to propel him, the masked firebender had thrown himself into the air and was just landing on the roof that still burned around them both. With each step, he swung his arms sharply and yet more fire lanced out and down into the building. He seemed determined to char it to nothingness, even as he charged her.

"What are you doing? There are children here!" Noin shouted. "They're just students!"

"Any who prepare to use their fire to take a life should also be prepared to have their lives taken from them by fire!" an imperious voice replied. The figure jumped from his position and executed a flawless kick, blazing flames following the arc of the blow. Noin had to leave her pillar to roll along the smoldering roof-tiles to evade it.

"And what is an earthbender doing here but preparing for war?" the masked attacker turned to face her. "You are dishonorable to speak of sparing the innocent when you train them to kill!"

"I don't want anybody to have to fight!" Noin replied angrily. "I'm here for the bending! But I'll fight you to protect these children if I have to!"

"So be it."

He lifted his arms in what looked more like a waterbending pose, and the fire consuming the building around them rose up like a tidal wave. Noin felt terror quicken in her heart and she spared no thought for combat. Instead, she flung herself off the roof entirely, landing with the earth cradling her. As the wave of fire began to crash down, she rolled to where the gathered students still clung to one another with wide eyes.

"Get down!" she screamed.

The children ducked and cowered, and Noin summoned all her strength, raising an enormous amount of stone and earth in a dome over them. She could feel the heat of the flames through the stone, even before she got to her feet and pressed her palms against the earth. In the darkness, the heat was stifling, and the children whimpered.

But Noin twisted her feet into the earth and reached with her senses. Just as an earthbender could bend metal by feeling the earth embedded in it, she could sense their surroundings through the earth at least somewhat. Taking a deep breath, she lashed out, crashing an enormous block of earth to where she knew there had once been a school. And an enemy.

As the fire around her shield cooled almost at once, she dropped the stone and stepped out.

The building was absolutely demolished – between the fire and the wedge of stone that had torn through it, there was nothing salvageable about it. The mysterious attacker was stretched out on the ground, mask a little askew. Noin approached cautiously.

She couldn't see his whole face, but she could clearly see that he was young, as young as many of her pupils. She stopped and stared in sheer surprise.

His eyes opened and he righted the mask as he leaped to his feet.

"You are strong, but still too weak for war. Stay with your students and study bending. If you cannot kill an enemy, you will never be able to protect anyone."

Before Noin could respond, he turned and fled, disappearing into the hazy smoke of the fire and the jagged rocks beyond.


	4. The Flag is Calling

Let me just say – ye GODS Gundam Wing has a lot of characters! And I think I got almost all of them in here. Might have missed one or two named bit people who might or might not speak, but for the most part I found a place for everybody in this world. I'm going to vow now, though, never to write with such a full cast. Keeping it straight would have been impossible if I wasn't working from a coherent base.

Also, I'm tossing around the idea of upping the posting schedule from once a week to twice. Any thoughts?

Maybe next chapter I'll tell you about the soundtrack in more detail. Anybody know someone who makes good AMVs and might want to do one for Gundam Wing to one of my songs?

Enjoy!

* * *

Part 3: The Flag is Calling

* * *

In the council chamber of the Earth Kingdom, the nobles and advisors spoke in low, nervous voices. There was a great deal more rumor than fact flying about in the city, and the sheer amount of unconfirmed information had everyone on edge, even on top of the attack in the heart of Ba Sing Se.

"All rise for the Earth King."

Silence fell to the soft slide of brocade as the nobles and advisors took their places in pairs at small tables that faced the central dais. The throne of the Earth King was worked in perfect gold, with two smaller golden chairs to either side. These stood empty until their occupants followed their king into the room.

Earth King Noventa entered, head held high with dignity. He nodded courteously to the gathered crowd before taking his seat, at which time the others sat as well. The doors to the room were then secured, one by the Lightning Count, General Zechs, and the other by Secretariat and Chancellor Darlian. Then the two men stepped onto the dais as well, Zechs at the Earth King's right hand and Darlian at his left.

"Last night, there was an attack on the palace," Noventa began without preamble. "General Zechs informs me that the goal of the attack appears to have been a portion of Old Ba Sing Se which was little-used and even less known to outsiders. Chancellor Darlian assures me there was nothing stored in that part of the city that would be worth such an attack."

"My lord," one of the nobles stood.

"Yes, Under-Secretariat Septum?"

"My sources suggest that last night's attacked coincides with similar attacks on Capital Island, Republic City, and Ice Haven, as well as a disturbance at Folly's Fortress. Only one conclusion can reasonably explain these events, your majesty."

"You are suggesting that the outlands that have long desired independence have decided to take violent action against us," Darlian's face creased in concern. "I will be the first to admit that our negotiations with the many peoples who seek self rule have been frustrating, but I do not accept that they would so quickly turn to war as an option. And, frankly, they are not so united the world over as to include attacking the Fire Nation and Republic City as well as ourselves."

"Is it possible," Zechs spoke up, "that they attack us because they believe they may be attacked themselves?"

"Why do you ask?" Noventa asked.

"Because, your majesty, you know as well as I do that the rumors of either an immanent Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation attack have gained a great deal of attention in the last few months. I am not defending whoever chose to bring violence into the palace," he held up his hands, "but if you think of it from their perspective, that a much greater force might be gathering against them, you could understand that fear might drive someone desperate to such lengths."

"You speak well, Zechs," the Earth King nodded. "Still, their fear is no excuse for violence. I believe we must take some course of action to ensure we can protect our citizens while we still leave open the path of communication."

"Your majesty," Septum spoke up, "I believe we must make it clear that the Earth Kingdom is safe for all, whether they wish to remain with us or not. I am not suggesting we go to war, but imposing a firmer, more martial control over our lands will both reassure our populace and remind the rebels that they must work with us, not against us, or they will gain nothing."

"Martial law is never a good response, even to this situation," Darlian replied. "It will only frighten people and confirm the worst fears and rumors amongst those whose trust we have already lost."

"What do you think, Zechs?" Noventa asked. The masked general was silent for a moment before answering.

"We do not know the aim of the intruder, nor his motivations. We cannot assume his actions speak for anyone but himself. Unless your majesty has changed your opinion, if we intend to resist the calls for independence across the kingdom, we cannot show weakness now. While I agree with Chancellor Darlian that martial law is a dangerous option, I believe it may also draw out whatever forces are already massed against us so we may face them openly."

"I, too, agree that it is regrettable but necessary to increase our military presence and strength throughout the kingdom," the Earth King said. "Chancellor Darlian, I will leave it to you to ensure that those with whom we are negotiating understand this is as much for their protection as our own. As General Zechs says, we do not know who attacked us or why. We must be prepared to respond quickly and decisively if necessary."

"Your majesty, I know you want the very best for your kingdom, but I believe this is a mistake," Darlian said, his face drawn. "I will, however, support you as always. But please allow me to pursue my own attempts to ensure the peace and the continuing open communication between us and the representatives seeking independence."

"Very well. Under-Secretariat Septum, see to the institution of martial law, but only in as much as is absolutely necessary to ensure the kingdom's security. Darlian, you do as you see fit and I shall choose to trust to your judgment. General Zechs, I would ask you to continue the investigation of the incident itself."

The Earth King rose and looked out at the other nobles gathered near, most of whom were present for ceremonial purposes rather than because their opinions were of value; as certain families had inherited more than one position on the council since its birth in the Year of the Comet, it had grown rather beyond usefulness. Except in one respect.

Earth King Noventa knew well that in this room might be a voice speaking to the attacker, to the groups seeking independence, and to any unknown allies or enemies that had yet to choose a side. He would be foolish indeed to assume that every person before him was totally loyal and totally trustworthy. It was sometimes dangerous to speak before them, but, in this case, potentially very beneficial.

"It is my will that peace rule in my kingdom, but if the forces of divisiveness bring blood to my people we will answer them tenfold. I will protect what is mine until we reach an accord with those who seek their own destinies. But if those who ask for independence come to me with open minds and hearts, I will hear them."

With that, the Earth King swept from the room, leaving his nobles with their thoughts.

-==OOO==-

"You wanted to see me, Fire Lord?"

"Yes. You are aware of the attack on the firebending prodigy school last night?" the shadowy figure wreathed in flames spoke with a deep, gravelly tone.

"I am," Treize answered, carefully not looking up from where he had settled himself in a perfect bow.

"This is an attack on our sovereignty, on the very heart of the Fire Nation. It is a declaration of war from those foolish enough to believe they can stand against us. We cannot let it pass without action."

"What are your orders, Fire Lord?" Treize asked, keeping his tone smooth and neutral.

"This is the work of those blasted 'independents.' Find them, hunt them down like animals, and destroy them, every man and woman who participated in the plot to bring harm to our nation. We will show the world that the Fire Nation is powerful enough to fear nothing."

"As you wish," Treize bobbed his head slowly before rising and making his way out of the chamber. A few corridors down, he was not surprised to find himself shadowed.

"Lady Une," he greeted her politely.

"The Fire Lord has declared war," she said simply. It was not a question. She knew as well as Treize that their Fire Lord would not react with any sort of caution to the attack.

"He has, in all but name."

"General Treize," Une's tone was sharp, "you know there were other attacks. If this was the work of the independents, they had no reason to attack at Republic City, nor at Ice Haven, and even if the fire at Folly's Fortress cannot be coincidence, it serves even less purpose than the other two. The Earth King has already given General Zechs orders to find out who attacked the palace at Ba Sing Se, and Chancellor Darlian is attempting to keep negotiations continuing. A declaration of war from the Fire Nation will only complicate matters and make it more difficult to learn the truth about the attack on our school."

"I agree," Treize nodded, leading the way out of the palace and into the bright gardens. Not only would they there be free of the aura of the Fire Lord's fury, but they could speak without being overheard by guards. "However, we are both beholden to our Fire Lord until such time as he is succeeded, and I have my orders. And, to my way of thinking, this may be precisely what is needed to end the current stalemate."

"How so?"

"For generations, people have been searching for the strength to decide their own futures and for generations they have failed. Avatar Yuy might have guided the world to a place where small communities could stand like Republic City and take a place for themselves, but with his death they have withered. They chafe under the Old Four, and yet they do nothing."

"General..." Une trailed off at the sharp look in Treize's blue eyes. His golden-brown hair, not nearly as near-silvery pale as his niece Dorothy's, but with the same streak of Nomad blood that wound through his whole family, hooded his expression, but not enough to hide it from her.

"The Fire Nation has declared war even if it is a silent declaration. When we learn against whom we will be fighting, we will know if the independents are strong enough to stand against the world. And if they do not stand, and our enemy is another force, then for the sake of peace in the Fire Nation we will destroy them. Either way, there is much to be learned."

"General," Une tried again, "the Fire Lord does not see things that way. He wants the independents wiped out, whether or not they were behind this. And if he learns that you seek not his will, but your own, you will be in danger."

"That may be so, but it doesn't matter. The Fire Lord sees me as a threat already, though I know I am not."

"But, Treize, you..."

"I do not want the seat of power," Treize looked away, straightening his gloves even though they appeared to be not even a little out of place. "With my sister's death, the throne must fall to myself or to Dorothy, and Fire Lord Dermail favors her over me. I know for myself that my hands are not clean enough to rule. If my father cannot know this of me, no warning will save me, even though I know you mean well by it."

He regarded her evenly, taking in the tight braids coiled together at the nape of her neck that held her long brown hair, the bright intelligence that shown in her eyes. She, like him wore the uniform of the army, and like him, wore it with every seam straight and every stitch in line. She was an embodiment of formality and honor and strength. How it amazed him still that he had won this woman's powerful loyalty.

"My lady, we have a task to accomplish. The Fire Lord has ordered that we find the independents who staged the attack and destroy them. Though I am not convinced we will find forces of the independents when we finish our search, we must obey these orders for now. I am counting on you to help me."

"Yes, General," she replied, straightening up from her rigid posture into one even more unforgiving. "I will begin at once."

"And my lady?" He caught her hand for a moment, and held it, and her eyes, with his. "Do what you must, but remember always that we fight not for the Fire Lord, but for the Fire _Nation_. When one must be upheld over the other, remember our people. If we die, we die not for a man, but for each other."

-==OOO==-

Noin leaned on the door-frame. She then had to duck to avoid a sudden splash of what, if experience was any teacher, was extremely cold water. Still, it was a near thing.

"Sorry! I didn't realize it was you," called the young woman garbed in blue within. "Come on in. I'm just a little on edge."

"We all are," Noin replied. "So, it's true then? You're going back?"

"If you mean 'did I receive a messenger hawk telling me to get myself to the North Pole as soon as possible,' then yes, I did." She ran a hand through the thick pale brown hair that framed her face. "I've done everything I can do here. Unless you are keeping something from me? You wouldn't be trying to sneak out with an injury, would you?"

"No," Noin held up her hands, laughing, "no, I'm fine, Sally. Just a couple of bumps and bruises. Nothing serious. I know what happens when I try to evade a healing from you!"

"Glad to hear it," Sally nodded, but she still looked sharply, eyes raking from Noin's military-cut Earth Kingdom uniform to her boyishly short dark hair. "It's been a long time since I've seen you in anything other than Fire Nation red."

"Well, all my local stuff got burned anyway, and you're not the only one with orders to go home," Noin answered, taking a seat on the room's only chair and watching Sally sort her bandages. "I got a hawk from Zechs. He needs me back at Ba Sing Se, not that he told me why."

"Have I mentioned recently how glad I am _not_ to be the one in between the two stubbornest generals ever named in the history of either the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom? If the Water Tribes had high generals, with my luck they'd have picked me and I'd have to deal with them all the time."

Sally and Noin shared a grin.

Noin had trained alongside Zechs for years, and was considered to be his only true rival at earthbending (and one of his truest friends as well). Zechs, however, recognized only one rival, and that was General Treize of the Fire Nation. Zechs and Treize had been friends, allies, enemies, rivals, and everything in between for years. Treize even owed Zechs his life, and it was a debt he did not take lightly. With Noin often traveling when Zech's duties kept him close to the Earth King, she had sometimes served as the line of communication between the two powerful men.

Sally, a waterbender and healer from the Mid-Water Tribe, neither Southern or Northern but rather those benders who eschewed the frozen remotes, had crossed her path many times, and had had cause to work with her as bender and healer. Where Noin followed Zechs, and Treize had his own lieutenant in Une, Sally answered only to the clan leaders of the Water Tribes, and held no loyalty besides them. In as much as trust was possible in the chaotic world around them, Noin and Sally had come to regard one another as friends.

"I heard that the Fire Lord is pretty upset about the attack," Sally continued. "I think things are about to get a lot worse for everybody."

"I know," Noin sighed. "Zechs did include in his note the fact that the Earth King authorized martial law across the kingdom."

"But that will only scare and anger them more!" Sally returned. "And not just the independents, but those who haven't made up their minds about it yet."

"Maybe," Noin shrugged. "But we can't let people just attack like that, either. I don't want to fight, and I don't want another war, but we do have to protect ourselves."

"I'm the first one to agree with you," Sally nodded, "but only if we're protecting ourselves from the right people. Half the independents are village alliances that only have a couple of benders. If you ask me, I'd worry less about the people stirring up the politics and look at the ones who _should_ be."

"What do you mean?"

"A handful of non-benders won't gain much from inciting the anger of the Old Four. They _might_ be crazy enough to try it, but I don't think they are really that suicidal. So who would benefit from the attack? Look there, and that will tell you a lot more about who we should be fighting."

"Maybe," Noin said again.

"Will the Earth King be calling on the Mechanists to involve themselves?" Sally tipped her head curiously.

"I don't think so," Noin frowned. "They're not exactly loyal."

"I thought they weren't arguing for independence?" That was a question.

"Oh," Noin huffed a laugh. "They're not, really. But they don't want to belong to the Earth Kingdom, either. And they half don't belong to us to start with. Being all holed up in that spot on the coast, they're perfectly able to forge their own alliances the way Republic City did before it was a true nation. And since nobody really can get them to do anything they don't want to do, we all try to pretend they aren't there. It's easier than negotiating with them or thinking too much about what treasures they might be hiding."

Noin stood. "Anyway, I just came to say goodbye and to wish you luck."

"Thanks for that," Sally said, pausing in her work to face her friend fully. "I don't mind telling you I'm not sure where this is going to take me. I just hope I don't end up having to fight against you or Zechs or even Treize, not that I'd stand a chance against any of you."

"You're a better warrior than you let on, and don't think I don't know it," Noin said with a wry smile. "But I understand." She held out a hand. "Keep in touch if there's something you think I should know. Maybe if we listen to the right people at the right times and places we can bring this thing to an end before it gets out of hand. And," she swallowed before speaking softly, "if it comes to the point where you and I have to fight each other, there might not be hope for anyone."

"That's true," Sally took the hand. "Then here's to solving the mystery before the world loses its way."

Sally's clear blue eyes, which always looked to Noin as if they were pools of still water, met hers steadily. Sally was very Water Tribe in every way that mattered, including a powerful belief in community and alliances. Noin felt a part of herself relax very slightly.

If the Water Tribes were getting involved, there was hope that the Fire Lord's anger and the Earth King's pride would be tempered enough to save them all.

-==OOO==-

From a lonesome ship in the middle of the ocean, a white-haired man released a black hawk to the sky, its message-ring stuffed with multiple scraps of paper. The hawk knew it would be journeying to many different hands before it returned to its master.

On every message it carried was scrawled the same line:

"Initial assault successful. Begin second phase."


	5. Remember the Name

The last chapter felt a little short to me, so here's one that feels a little longer. And...yeah, at this point I'm going to start deviating from the original GW story more than I already had. But it seems to work better. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Check out the end of the chapter for this story's soundtrack challenge!

Enjoy!

* * *

Part 4: Remember the Name

* * *

The news that came flying into Ba Sing Se of the blood-chilling assault and theft from Ice Haven, the assassination of the Chairman from Republic City, and the destruction of the school on Capital Island rattled the city in combination with the rumors about what had happened at the palace. The whispers through the city were that terrorists had attempted to kill the Earth King, or that someone had _already_ killed the Earth King and the man at the council meeting had been a fake. Of course, the actual fact of the events was also explained through more official channels, but rumors were so much more interesting.

For her part, Relena listened carefully when people spoke around her and shared nothing of what she had seen that night with anyone but her father. She'd given him the piece of metal from the strange earthbender she'd met, and he had closed his eyes wearily upon receiving it.

"If that young man spoke the truth," he had said heavily, "we have much greater problems than I feared."

Relena did not see much of her father for a few days while he carried out his duties to appease the many voices clamoring for answers and explanations, still holding firm to his belief that, in the end, those requesting independence from the Earth Kingdom deserved to receive it – and no amount of chaos in the world could change his mind no matter what the more militant of the council said. Though not a bender, Darlian had been friends with Avatar Yuy many years before and shared his beliefs. The possibility of weapons kept secretly in the palace worried him deeply and he also began quietly investigating that himself.

A week after the attack, Relena was accompanying her father to an official function when everything changed again.

Darlian was meeting with several representatives of the independence-seeking regions for dinner in the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se, both to reassure them that he had not been swayed by the attack and to establish their feelings on it that he could better represent them to the Earth King. Relena was again watching and listening carefully, this time to the impassioned arguments of the representatives, admiring her father's calm and reasoned diplomacy, when a blur out the window drew her attention. It was the shape of a man, dressed in black with a cloth tied under his eyes to conceal his face. He raised his hands and Relena's stomach constricted in sudden fear.

"Father, look out!" she shouted from her place in a chair at the other end of the room.

But Darlian was not quick enough. A blast of fire erupted from the window and caught him full in the chest before it whipped through the room, striking other delegates as they tried to flee.

Relena felt herself falling backwards as a block of earth rose up to protect her from the flames. The air was stifling and the smoke made her eyes burn and she didn't know if she was choking or crying or screaming. A pair of arms encircled her waist and yanked her through a hole in what had been the wall. She sputtered as her lungs hit the cooler air.

"Just hang on," a voice commanded, and in the fuzz of her mind Relena had no idea if the voice was familiar or strange, or even male or female. Then, "I don't see him!" was shouted from over her shoulder to someone else in the hazy dark.

"I'm going after Darlian," another voice said, and now Relena was able to blink enough tears from her eyes to see the pale light of the starlit night glinting off the distinctive mask of the Lightning Count. He strode through the hole in the building to where flames still burned hotly and smelled of something awful.

"Father!" Relena cried out, trying to get to her feet. The arms around her waist pulled her back and held her tightly.

"Easy, easy," soothed the first voice. "You can't help him. If there's…if there's a point to it, Zechs will get him out."

Relena turned to see a face she knew, not personally, but well enough from official circles. Except when on business for the Earth King, Lieutenant Noin was often at the side of General Zechs. The earthbender shifted her grip so she was more supporting Relena than restraining her.

"What's going on?" Relena asked through her dry and smoke-clogged throat.

"We learned that something like this might happen," Noin answered, leading Relena to sit against the wall of a nearby building and standing over her protectively. "We came as quickly as we could."

Only now was Relena becoming aware of the other people around them, all wearing the uniform of the guards that were directly under the command of the Lightning Count. They were fanned out in the streets, even a few on rooftops, in defensive positions.

"Why?" Relena demanded. "Why was this done?"

"Because Darlian speaks for those whom others wish to keep silent," came the low, even voice of Zechs himself. Noin did not budge from her position, but it was clear enough in her face that she wanted to move to his side, to help him with the limp form thrown over one shoulder. "Someone get a healer here _now_!" he shouted with sudden, unbridled anger in his voice.

"Father!" Relena ducked past Noin and skidded to where Zechs set the Chancellor on the ground. Relena clapped both hands against her mouth in horror. She could barely recognize her father in the burned wreck before her. She fought not to be sick.

"Relena..." Darlian rasped, his commanding voice ruined.

"Father," she felt tears begin.

"Relena...you...you must take your place..."

"My place? Where? Father, what do you mean?" She leaned closer, ignoring the running footsteps of the approaching healer.

"Before Dulindal...one family served Republic City with wisdom and patience...not as Chairman, but as...Peacecraft. You...you are the last." He coughed violently.

"Father, what are you saying?" Relena fought her tears.

"Your...brother...will explain..."

"Brother?"

"Take your place, Relena...as a Peacecraft..."

"Father!" Relena would have thrown her arms around him but Noin again pulled her back as the healer threw everyone else aside. "Father, no!"

"Can you save him?" the general demanded.

"No," was the soft answer. "It's already too late."

"_Father_!"

-==OOO==-

Hours later, though it felt like years, Relena realized she was in the sitting room of her own house, tucked amidst blankets on her favorite, softest chair with a cup of warm tea in her hands. She only vaguely remembered hearing the news given to her mother by General Zechs and watching the woman who was so often a tower of serene strength collapse with grief. Noin had vanished with her, helping her to bed. Now Relena was surprised by the silence.

And she was not alone, she noticed finally.

"General?" The word came out low and thick.

"Relena," the Lightning Count looked at her, his mouth turned down. He had been staring out the front window, hands clenched behind him, and in spite of his military posture she could read deep tension in his whole being. She wondered what the rest of his expression would have looked like. "There is much you must know, and I am sorry to have to explain it to you now, when you are in such pain. But there is no time."

She nodded. She didn't trust her voice.

"What Darlian was trying to tell you tonight is something known only to a few of us – myself, the Earth King and two of his oldest advisors, your mother, and Noin. It has been kept secret because the truth could have been dangerous." He breathed out a long sigh before beginning to pace slowly about the room.

"Many years ago, not long after the death of Avatar Yuy, the old leader of Republic City was relieved of his position. He and his forefathers had always stood in a position of humble power, a balance to the City's Council that could speak with the wisdom of a lifetime of study and a long line of experience. Each person to carry the position was given the title of 'Peacecraft,' for they were neither King nor Lord, but the voice of reason and balance in statecraft. Marticus Peacecraft did not step down willingly as had all his predecessors, however. He was forced out by the same sinister powers that moves against us all even now." He looked at her very closely. "The same that killed your father tonight."

Relena gasped in a breath, but maintained her composure. Zechs nodded at her and continued.

"Marticus Peacecraft was outdone by politics and lies," the general's words became bitter and clipped, "and in a world with no Avatar, none found the courage to stand with him. He was forced to flee, taking his family with him – a son already beginning instruction in statecraft and a newborn daughter. Marticus knew his enemies would not leave him alone, and he also could not give up his great work of fostering cooperation and peace throughout the world. He and his family agreed to sacrifice everything to keep that dream alive."

General Zechs turned and faced Relena directly. Then, to her surprise, he cupped her cheek gently. It was only when she noticed the color of his eyes did she realize he had taken the chance to remove his mask – the mask he never, ever was seen without. His face was smooth and delicately shaped, and his eyes were bright and very kind. And familiar.

"I was just a bit younger than you are now, Relena," he said softly. "I was just about to leave Republic City for the Earth Kingdom to study earthbending. Earth King Noventa offered Marticus Peacecraft a safe haven and the position of Chancellor. His only condition was that no one know that the man closest to him, his most trusted advisor, was the former Peacecraft of Republic City. That's how Marticus Peacecraft became Darlian, Chancellor of the Earth Kingdom. And how I chose to don the mask to protect his identity and took on the name Zechs."

Relena stared. Though not so broad, his face was nearly identical to her father's. If not for the striking, near-white color of his hair, they could have been brothers. Her eyes widened in realization.

"You're...you're my brother. I have an older brother."

"Yes," he said softly. "Marticus Peacecraft had a son, Millardo, but if it were known that he and I were one in the same, our whole family would have been in danger. Our father's death would have come that much sooner from the enemies he left behind in Republic City who still sought to remove him from power." He looked away. "So we decided to raise you in ignorance of your true heritage, and of me."

"But, didn't you...?"

"I missed my family every day," he answered her unfinished question. "But I was never very far away. I became a splendid earthbender, and with that, gained the chance to work side-by-side with our father, even if we didn't always see things the same way in the council chamber. And I watched you growing up, probably more closely than you ever realized. Millardo never forgot his family, but Zechs could have no family, in case it brought enemies to them."

He went quiet for a moment, and Relena realized belatedly that Zechs – her brother Millardo – had also lost his father tonight, a father he had been distant from for most of his life, a father he failed to save in time. She didn't know she was going to do it, but he just looked so lost, with the exact same expression she had seen on her father's face many times as he tried to find a way out of a terrible situation. She couldn't help it.

Relena threw her arms around him, half falling from her chair and spilling her tea everywhere, and buried her head in his chest. His arms came up to hold her without hesitation.

And they mourned.

A long time later, Millardo pulled back, smiling fondly and sadly at the disheveled sister before him. He reached out tentatively, and when she didn't prevent him, tucked her hair that had fallen loosely over her face behind her ear. She smiled wetly through her tears and did the same for him. They both laughed a little.

"Thank you," he said, meaning not the gesture, but the silent comfort and refuge she had given him.

"So what happens now?" Relena found herself asking. Really, she wasn't nearly done struggling with her father's death, but she was tired now of those feelings and a distraction was welcome.

"Do you understand now what father's last words to you meant?"

"I think so," she answered slowly. "Chairman Dulindal is dead, and Republic City doesn't have a person to lead the Council. Father wanted me to go and claim that place." Her brother nodded, but she frowned. "Why me, though? You're older and more experienced."

"And I am needed here," he said. "It is more important than ever for me to remain with the Earth King as an advisor. Father and I were always trying to prevent a war, even if we had different ideas about how best to do that. If I leave my place now, we will both have failed. But you can lead the people – I know you can. And you must. Republic City must return to a path of interconnectedness and peace. If it falls to chaos, so will the world."

"But I don't know how. I've never..."

"You'll be all right," he interrupted her. "You're kind and patient and brave. You believe in the best in people, and you believe in peace. And you won't be alone. Noin will be with you."

"Noin?"

"There is too much I must do here. I trust Noin to know how best to help you and protect you."

"But why does Noin know all about this?" Relena remembered the odd addition to the list of people who were aware of her family's secrets.

Millardo gave her a _look_. A very deliberate _look_. Relena blushed in realization.

"Oh! That's wonderful! I mean, um, never mind," she looked away, her face hot.

"It's all right," he smiled gently at her, touching her hair fondly. Even having not grown up beside her, Relena could see plainly that her brother loved her with all his heart. "Noin will also be able to provide the proof of your identity. It must be revealed that father was Marticus for you to take his place, and her authority will help with that."

"But if his secret must come out anyway, won't you be discovered?"

"That's why I wear the mask. And between that and this," Millardo ran a hand through his distinctive near-white hair, "it's unlikely anyone will make the connection."

"Why _do_ you have hair like that?" Relena asked. "I've heard stories, but they _can't_ be true."

"I started half those rumors myself, including the one about a very angry boarcupine," he smiled ruefully. "But that's a story for a happier time. Let Noin tell it. She tells it better than I do – and more often."

"You're leaving." It wasn't a question. Relena knew that expression very well. She had seen it on her father's face many, many times.

"I must. There is a great deal I must do now," he replied, putting both hands on her shoulders and looking at her seriously. "Trust in Noin. She will almost always have my thoughts, and she knows me well enough to advise you as I would. But trust no one else, Relena. _No one_. And..." He closed his eyes for a moment before continuing.

"There may come a time when you must _not_ listen to me. Noin will tell you that I always do things in my own way. I am not our father. I never could be. You are the true inheritor of his pacifist spirit. If I seem to be acting against you, know that I am never against _you_, Relena, but I am finding my way in a different manner. Then, too, trust yourself. I trust you."

"I..." Relena took a breath and met his eyes unflinchingly. "I will do my best."

"I know you will."

He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. Relena clung to him, feeling her tears returning. Her father was dead. She had a brother whom she would be leaving for a world of uncertainty, a city she had never known, and a duty beyond her imagination. And it _ached_.

As he released her, Relena sensed a change in the room and turned to where Noin was leaning against the doorway. She smiled sadly.

"You should talk to him more often, Relena," she said. "Even I almost never see him without the mask."

Millardo shook his head at her with a sad smile of his own, looking at the shiny metal he had let fall and was only now taking back into his hands. "If we can navigate these troubled times, if the day comes that I may put it down and face the world, you can be assured I will never ever wear it again as long as I live."

"Then we'll have to make that world happen," Noin stepped close. Relena felt like moving out of their way, but Noin stopped and held out her hand. "Your brother believes in you, and I believe in him. So maybe between us we can banish that mask for good."

Relena met the young woman's eyes and felt, through all her worry and pain and fear, a lot less alone. She took the offered hand.

"We will. You'll see."

-==OOO==-

Unseen, hidden in the shadows of the night on the roof of a particularly tall building, a sharp whistle echoed. A hawk, very large for a messenger-hawk, dove like a shooting star from the sky, landing silently on the arm that was held out for it.

Between the lights of the city and the pale starlight above, the hawk was almost luminous, its white feathers bright in the dark. The streaks of other colors – scarlet and grey and a touch of tan and even dark blue across the chest – broke up its form a little, but not nearly enough.

"Wing, you are the most poorly designed bird for blending in I have ever seen," the owner of the arm grumbled softly. Belying the frustration of the words, however, was the sure, confident movements of neatly extracting the rolled parchment from the messenger-tube without unbalancing the bird. From a hidden pocket, a morsel of meat appeared and the hawk gobbled it greedily, ignoring its handler's focused study of the parchment it had carried.

"I have failed," came the words darkly from the shadow. "And I have new orders. I will have to do something about both these things."

There was the quick sound of ink being set to parchment and a new roll was inserted into the waiting container on the hawk's leg.

"Take this back to him," was the order, "and then keep watch until you find me outside the city, if I survive to meet you there."

Wing was expertly thrown back into the air, immediately living up to his name as he made for the south at speed.

Below, the words he had written were practically burned on his handler's eyes as he turned to leave the shadows at last.

"Mission accepted."

-==OOO==-

Relena woke with a start, feeling the cold of tears on her cheeks. The darkness in the room suggested it wasn't yet near dawn, but she sat up anyway and pulled a blanket around herself. How could she go back to sleep with the image of her father, _burned to death_, in her mind?

But a moment later, that image was driven entirely away by the silhouette that moved at her window.

Before Relena could make a sound, she felt something oddly cold slap over her mouth. Her hands flew up and she realized it was a chunk of earth. It smelled of her mother's garden.

In another moment, a candle on a nearby table was lighted, not by bending, but the normal way. She blinked in the light and then in surprise to see a familiar form before her. It was the same boy who had attacked the palace, the same boy she had met that day who had hidden his face and had it hidden still behind the mask of an Earth Kingdom warrior.

"Don't scream," he spoke in his distinctive low and slightly nasal voice. "I'm not here to hurt you."

Relena found herself nodding and he waved the clump of earth away from her. She looked at him, eyes widening as he removed the mask she had last seen him in. Without it, his face was again surprisingly young.

"Why are you here?" she found herself asking.

He held out a dagger, pommel facing her.

"I have come to give you the chance to kill me."

"What?!"

"Keep your voice down," he hissed. "We don't need every guard in Ba Sing Se knowing I'm here."

"Oh, sorry." Relena's eyes narrowed, though, and she crossed her arms. "What makes you think I would kill you? Do I look like a killer?"

"No," he said softly. "But it would be your right. I am responsible for the death of your father."

Relena gasped, her hands clenching instinctively. Then she shook her head hard. "No, no, you can't be. You're an earthbender. He was killed by a firebender."

"I didn't kill him myself, no, but I gave you the piece of metal. You gave it to Darlian. He was investigating it when he shouldn't have been. Zechs was leading the investigation, and he was well-protected. But your father got too close to my enemies. And those people who wanted those weapons kept secret couldn't afford to let him live."

He looked at her and Relena noticed for the first time how deep and blue his eyes were.

"I should never have involved you. Because of my actions, your father is dead and war is practically inevitable."

"By that logic," Relena countered, "I'm as much at fault for giving the piece to my father as you are for giving it to me. Should I be asking my mother to kill me?"

"No," and he said it so quickly it surprised them both. "No," a little more softly. "It was not your mission. You are not a part of this war. People like me take on the burden so people like you never have to."

Relena stood up with sudden conviction and took the dagger he still held in his hands. Her mind was filled with her father's horrifying body, the screams of the others at the meeting as they died. She remembered that piece of metal, and absorbed the fact that her choice to give it to her father had caused his death. She thought about what her brother had lost, what might happen in the Earth Kingdom without the calm voice of Darlian to lead. She gripped it tightly.

"You would throw away your life like that?" she demanded. "You would let me kill you? And then how would the cycle end? Who would stop the fighting then?"

"You would," he said with conviction in his voice. "The cycle would die with me. Besides, life is cheap, especially mine."

"You're wrong," she returned, pressing one clenched hand to her chest. "The cycle will not die until the war is over and the forces behind it are brought to see reason. Violence cannot end violence. It must end in peace. That's what the Avatar always taught. And all life is valuable, no matter whose."

To her surprise, he shook his head and huffed. "I didn't know anyone could still believe that. You are very strong to carry that ideal these days."

"I don't feel strong," Relena replied, looking away. "I...I am scared."

Suddenly Relena couldn't help it. She had to tell someone. She couldn't carry it alone. She met the boy's eyes and spoke before she could think about the danger of it. "My father was Marticus, the Peacecraft of Republic City. His dying wish was for me to go there and take his place. Somehow, I have to try to lead an entire nation to the way of peace when the world is crumbling around me."

The boy looked at her steadily for several long, silent breaths. Relena never looked away, but she did wonder at her sudden conviction to trust someone she had less reason to trust than most. Finally, his eyes flicked down to the dagger still held in her hand.

"Are you going to use that?"

"What? No!" she recoiled. "It doesn't matter if it's your fault or mine that my father is dead. Neither of us killed him. We both have to live for what he died to protect. That's our duty now."

The boy huffed at her again, and it might have been her imagination, but Relena thought he might have smiled very slightly – a crack in his stony face.

"Do as you like, then." She made to hand the dagger back to him, but he shook his head. "Keep it. Your journey to Republic City will be very dangerous. You might need it. But you must get there." His burning eyes held hers. "Your ideals may well turn the tide in this war. You must survive to have them heard."

"Come with me," Relena found herself saying. "Come with me and help me."

"I have my mission," he dismissed her. "Although I will sometimes be near. You will speak for peace, and I will kill for it. We will meet again." He stepped backwards to go.

"Tell me your name." She didn't move, but she drew herself up and faced him proudly, holding the dagger still. "Tell me so I know who to call out for in the dark."

"My name doesn't matter," he replied, putting the mask back on and regarding her from behind its empty expression. She was oddly reminded of her brother.

"It matters to me."

"Goodbye, Relena Peacecraft," he said, turning away from her. "You will only see me if I am protecting you or if I have come to kill you."

But he paused at her window and spoke over his shoulder. "But I would rather not kill you. If you call out, I will come." And then, "My name is Heero."

And he dropped out of sight into the dark.

* * *

A/N:

So, as I've mentioned in previous notes, I ended up using a soundtrack to keep me focused and to help me hold onto all the nuances of the story. In the end, the four songs I selected not only ended up telling the story of the story, but they wove their way into the narrative. So, each and every chapter title is an excerpt from one of those songs (sometimes adjusted slightly for grammar).

I've decided to levy a challenge to you readers. I've already said that after this story I'll be publishing a series of oneshots that expand the tale and the world. Well, here's your challenge: If you can identify any one of the four songs that make up the heart of this story, I will let you choose the subject of a oneshot. You'll have to wait until the end of the story to pick one (unless you want a "deleted scene"), but if you can name the song, you get a oneshot.

So let the guessing begin! I'll put the correct answer in the chapter when it is guessed and the person who was astute enough to spot it. And fair warning – at least one of the four is going to be HARD. But I have faith in you all.

Type to you next week!


	6. Unlike Everybody Else

No takers yet on my challenge last chapter? I'm not actually surprised. I haven't given you a lot to work with yet.

Also, I love writing Wufei you guys. I also have a dear friend almost exactly like this in real life. I annoy him a ton on principle, and it's as fun as it seems.

Enjoy!

* * *

Part 5: Unlike Everybody Else

* * *

Outside of a number of tents clustered at the edge of a barren plain, not far from true desert, several men sat going about their duties when one looked up in surprise.

"Rashid, up there!"

The enormous man turned when his name was called to see one of the younger ones pointing into the air. He shielded his eyes against the bright sunlight, searching the sky. After a moment, he too saw what had alerted Abdul. He threw his arm into the air, even as he began walking towards the white tent in the center of the encampment.

"Auda, get the others," he said, striding forward. Because he was expecting it, he did not flinch when an enormous messenger hawk, grey and white and black, with unusual streaks of yellow in its feathers, alighted on his extended forearm. The hawk squawked at him in protest of the bumpy ride, for he continued walking in spite of the bird's landing. His sleeves had enough evidence of similar landings going back many seasons, but desert clothing was durable in spite of the hawk's best attempts.

"Yes, sir!" Auda rose from where he had been repairing a cart and threw out both arms, providing perches to three more, much smaller hawks, all nearly snow-white. He waited until they settled across him before following.

"Master Quatre?" Rashid called, entering the tent that sat at the heart of the camp.

"Yes?" The golden-haired boy looked up from the many papers spread across the rough table, the expression in his green-blue eyes dozens of years beyond his age. He appeared a little wan and weary, but his face transformed as the men entered.

"Sandrock!" he exclaimed with a smile, rising and moving to take the large hawk from Rashid. "You must have come from Omashu." He peered beyond Rashid to the other three hawks. "That's a lot of news from the Order."

"Indeed." Rashid expertly removed the message-tubes from the smaller hawks. "Take them to be fed and rested," he ordered, and Auda nodded, unable to snap a salute or bow with three hawks arrayed on his arms. But he moved as lightly as if he were not the perch to the three birds as he obeyed.

"Master Quatre," Rashid came to stand beside the boy, noting absently the strain in the usually cheerful face, "shall I prepare the men to leave?"

"Not yet, please," Quatre answered politely, settling his large hawk on its designated perch and fetching a piece of dried meat as an offering. "Let me see what we have before we make any decisions."

"As you wish," Rashid nodded. He bowed low to the boy before removing himself – what Master Quatre's messages said were only his business if the boy wished it.

Alone in his tent, Quatre ran a hand through his bright hair, half glad to have news, half fearful. He started with the messages crammed in the smaller tubes from the other birds, the reports from the Order, he suspected. He read out the strips of paper one at a time.

"_Soldier successfully infiltrated Ba Sing Se and destroyed a large cache of new weaponry._"

"_Shinigami stole documents from Ice Haven confirming plans to move against the Mechanists and the involvement of Ice Haven officials in traitorous activity._"

"_No-Name assassinated Chairman Dulindal of Republic City._"

"_Spirit intercepted a number of communications and changed their contents according to plan._" Quatre smiled at that one. Well, of course he knew that already – he'd been there, after all. Still, it was good to confirm that his identity as Spirit remained unknown to the vast majority of the Order – it gave him a great deal more information as he got his own reports as well as Spirit's missions and updates.

"_Nataku eliminated a Fire Nation storage facility for dangerous information and exposed a potential link to the Earth Kingdom_."

Then there was a series of short, coded messages that gave a new set of contacts as well as updates to the secret words that would allow him entrance to the places across the world where he would find allies and help – he knew Spirit would receive a similar list, albeit a shorter one; Spirit was not expected to need the extensive network of Order strongholds.

But Sandrock had carried a particularly long parchment, and Quatre opened it gingerly at last. This was specifically addressed to Spirit – his new mission instructions. He read through them twice before nodding to himself. It was a sensible course of action, even if it did mean he would be face-to-face with someone who might complicate his plans rather a lot. But there was no help for it.

"Sandrock," he spoke absently to the hawk, "events are moving too fast. Only yesterday we had word of the death of Chancellor Darlian in Ba Sing Se and now this. I don't think there's anything we can do to prevent war at this point. And the forces lining up to create that war are a lot more powerful than we feared. I'm...suddenly not sure this is going to work."

Quatre closed his eyes, stroking Sandrock's feather-soft head gently. He breathed out slowly, as though all the weight of the world were arranged on his shoulders and the movement of the air threatened the weight's precarious balance. But he only gave himself a moment of such uncertainty before lifting his head.

"If we're going to make something of this mess, we need to move soon," and the spark was back in his eyes.

Quatre strode out of the tent with his shoulders back and his chin up. He walked straight into the thick of the men gathered around, most of whom were already waiting for him.

"I will be leaving at sunset," he said without preamble. "There is something I must do – a part of my mission that I must undertake alone."

"Master Quatre!" the cry went up as many of the men got to their feet, shouting in protest. Quatre waited for a few moments, a small smile on his face. But he needed not say anything.

"Enough!" Rashid broke through the noise with his deep voice. "If Master Quatre believes he must act alone, it is our duty to trust in him."

"Thank you Rashid," Quatre nodded to him. "I cannot involve you because I will be meeting up with another mask," he held up his own grey visage of the Blue Spirit. "I must work with them alone if I am to gain their confidence. But make no mistake, I will need your help soon enough."

"You need only command us, Master Quatre," that was Jamal, from his place in the crowd. Many voiced assent.

"Then be prepared to move in case I do need you," he answered. "Otherwise, most likely I will rejoin you in a week or two."

He looked over the men for a bit then, studying their faces, allowing himself the refuge of their loyalty and strength. He might well need it where he was going, where the world seemed headed.

-==OOO==-

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

One green eye peered out from the mess of hair that hid most of the young acrobat's face, but it was enough to see the young woman he had come to know fairly well in his time with the circus. She stood a few paces back, concern marring her sweet features.

"Yes," was all he said.

"Trowa," she stepped forward, "you don't have to go out there again. You hate wandering like this. I can see it in your face."

That elicited a tiny, pleased smile. There was something charming in being a mystery to the world, only to be uncovered by this one slip of a girl who was far too forthcoming in her speech and dangerously accurate with her daggers.

"Please," she reached out as if to put a hand on his shoulder but stopped just short. "You could stay here, have a home with us. Not for the act, and not for the animals, although they do like you. But just for you." Her wide eyes were pleading.

"I'm sorry," Trowa said gently, and truthfully. "But this is something I have to do."

"It's to do with that hawk that came yesterday, isn't it?" At his silence, she pressed on. "Trowa, whatever it is, you can walk away from it. You've been happy here. You don't have to leave."

"Thank you, Catherine," he said, and here he raised his head to look at her fully. "But this isn't something I can choose to walk away from. I have to go."

"Will I ever see you again?" There were tears standing in her eyes, which looked like a storm-tossed sky.

"Maybe," he shrugged. Then, as the tears started to fall, he found himself wanting to reach up to brush them away. But he didn't. "Please don't worry. I'm going where I want to go. You know nothing can hold me down when I choose otherwise."

"Yes, I suppose so," Catherine nodded. He smiled at her a little, pleased that she had kept his secret for weeks. No one else at the circus had ever noticed an airbender in their midst, but Catherine had. And if he shared anything at all with his people, it was a freedom of spirit, a freedom she had recognized, even if she didn't understand his many contradictions.

"Goodbye, Cathy," he said. He took a breath and laid one hand along her wet cheek for a moment before turning away and beginning to walk. He had an enormous amount of ground to cover, and not a lot of time to get there. He did not turn back, even after hearing the stifled sob and smelling the salt of her tears on the wind.

When Trowa was clear of the city, well beyond the many guards on alert, wary and paranoid after the unexpected murder of their leader, only then did he allow himself to consider. His orders were absolutely clear, leaving no room whatsoever for interpretation. And yet, there was something about them he didn't like.

As if summoned, a hawk let out a cry before descending to pause on his shoulder. He took in the deep red-orange of the feathers, colored like the traditional messenger hawks of the Fire Nation, but Heavyarms had only ever answered to Trowa.

There was no new message, but Trowa didn't expect one. Heavyarms had not been gone long enough to have retrieved new orders. Instead, the large bird seemed content to remain with Trowa as he often did. The airbender carefully shifted his shoulder, tipping his head back so he could just see the bright eye of the hawk meeting his own.

"You remember Catherine, right?" he asked. Heavyarms, like all the largest messenger hawks, was highly intelligent, if also very stubborn. Trowa knew he was understood, but that might not be enough if the bird had taken it in his head not to listen. "Not now, but sometimes I might send you back to her, just to make sure she's all right. She was kind to both of us."

Heavyarms preened, never looking completely away from Trowa's face.

"You were never meant to be mine, you know," he said after a moment. "You were meant just to be a part of the mission. They see you as a tool, no different from a saw or a sword. They never noticed your spirit."

Trowa passed a hand across and ran one long finger over the hawk's head in just the way he liked.

"I think they see us both that way. And maybe that's all we are, a tool to prevent war, or, if we fail, to win a war." He looked up to the sky as a brisk wind struck him, bringing with it the scent of the mountains in the far distance that were his destination. The air wrapped around him almost joyously, even though he didn't move to bend it. A true airbender is always bending, with every breath, without stopping. Bending, breathing, freedom – they are all parts of the same whole.

"But I think we can both find more than this if we follow the wind," Trowa said. "You know the winds as well as I do. Lead me, if I go astray."

Heavyarms let out a cry, flapping in the breeze, before settling in on Trowa's shoulder. The airbender smiled and nodded.

Who needed words when the air could speak for them both?

-==OOO==-

The ship chugged northward through the dark, choppy seas. But the compliment of waterbenders on board kept the waves mostly at bay and the sheer size of the metallic vessel did much to steady it. It had once been the design for warships, but now the sight of the imposing metal fleet meant trade and supplies instead of destruction.

To one side, the cold remote waters that would eventually lead to the iceflows where the Northern Water Tribe lived churned. But the other side of the ship provided a view of the mountainous northern coast of the Earth Kingdom. A journey along the land could take months, but the sea provided a much quicker route.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

The young man leaning on the rail staring at the towering mountains turned sharply, clearly not surprised but possibly annoyed at the interruption.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you. You just looked so...serious."

"Possibly because I am thinking."

"Deep thoughts, then, going by your face." She smiled, her blue eyes bright. "I'm Sally."

He scowled at her, but did not move away from the rail, so Sally leaned on it beside him, resting her chin on one hand as she looked at the setting sun's shadows amidst the rocky spires. She subtly glanced again at the young man as he clearly attempted to ignore her. His straight black hair was pulled back tightly from his face, but not in a traditional Fire Nation topknot that his clothing would have matched – rather, it was gathered at the nape of his neck in a narrow tail. His eyes were large and black and very focused. Everything about him seemed intense.

"It's beautiful," she said again, gesturing at the sight. "Doesn't matter how many times I see the mountains and the sea come together – I'm always reminded of how fragile and how perfect it all is."

"Do you intend to disturb my thoughts for much longer?" came the dry response.

"Oh, possibly," Sally grinned at getting a rise out of him. "Nobody else on this ship seems worth the time."

"That," he snorted with disdain, "is at least accurate."

He turned back to the view, but Sally leaned nearer casually and gestured to a dark shape circling the water a little way off. "He's yours, isn't he?"

That got his full attention as he straightened up and faced her. Sally was struck by how young he looked, in spite of the maturity and silence of his bearing.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Of course you do," she returned, not moving from her relaxed posture. "That hawk. He's yours. He doesn't belong to the ship or he'd have come aboard to report to the captain. He isn't anyone else's because there's nobody else here interesting enough to have their own messenger hawk. So that just leaves you."

He was silent and she raised an eyebrow. "Or, if he's not, I could always go and ask the captain about it. He'll probably have a larger hawk who could catch it and bring it in to check..."

The boy's frown deepened. He gave a sharp whistle.

Almost at once, the hawk alighted on the rail beside them. Up close, he was striking in color, mostly white with splashes of red and, surprisingly, some deep indigo mixed into the tail. She also noticed that his message-carrier was empty.

"Satisfied?"

"What's his name?" Sally asked.

"Shenlong," and this time the tone was neither haughty nor dismissive. "He's called Shenlong."

"And who are you that you need such a large messenger hawk?" Sally pressed, her gaze as quick as her mind. "He's large enough to fly a note anywhere in the world, I think."

"I'm nobody," was the response. "He was entrusted to me by someone who believed I could make use of him."

"And do you?"

"No. I don't have anyone to send a message to."

Sally believed him. There was something so stand-offish about him, she could well accept that this young man had few, if any, real connections in the world. That eased her mind a bit. She had been starting to wonder if this was someone she ought to keep an eye on – now, she wouldn't say she believed he was harmless exactly, but at the least he was not an immediate threat.

Just as well. It was going to be hard enough to deal with the Tribes even without a mysterious danger in the mix as well.

"Well," she said, "I hope then that you find someone worth communicating with. It's not right that you should have something others would give half their fortune for and have no use for it."

"Woman, if you are going to tell me to _make friends_, I will not tolerate it."

That made Sally throw back her head and laugh. "Very well, then I won't. But you should."

"Hmph."

They lapsed into silence, and only the sudden chill of a cold wind, made colder by the fact that the sun had set, reminded Sally that she was not used to the frigid air anymore and decide to go in. The boy still stood, looking across the water at the land, his hand absently curled around the feet of the large hawk. That was interesting; most hawks couldn't abide such familiar touches, even from their handlers. The hawk and the young man must share a special bond.

"I'm going in. You should too. It gets really cold out here at night," she stretched her back languidly.

"I'll be fine."

"I'm sure you will." As she started to walk away, she stopped and turned back. "Tell me your name."

"Why?"

"Because the next time somebody tells you that you ought to _make friends_ you can say you have one and her name is Sally. Not that I know you at all," she put up her hands at his sudden scowl, "but at least they might leave you alone. You ought to do me the same courtesy in case I have to answer the same question."

"That is a completely illogical argument," he shook his head. "But you won't go in until I surrender, will you, no matter how cold you obviously are?"

"If that's what it takes," she quirked another smile at him.

"Wufei," he said, looking away. "Now, good evening, stubborn woman."

"Nice to meet you, Wufei," she bobbed her head politely and made her way to the doors to the mess hall. It was only later, as she was unbraiding her hair and curling several blankets around her in her little cabin that she realized not once had the boy ever seemed cold at all. Here in the cabin she could still see her breath from the chill in the air in spite of the hot coals in the brazier.

There was only one way a person could stand without a heavy cloak in the driving wind at sunset this close to the frozen north without at least shivering. Only a firebender or an arctic waterbender would be so comfortable in the cold, and he was no waterbender.

"Huh. You are very interesting, Wufei," she smiled. Then she sobered. "I hope that is as interesting as you get, though. I'd rather not have to kill you."

-==OOO==-

"So, boy, where're we going today?"

The black hawk looked at him, cocking its head to one side as though considering. Then it let out a squawk and launched itself into the sky.

"Hey! Get back here! Deathscythe, you jerk!"

He would have taken off through the streets, but he knew he would stick out worse than usual if he sprinted through the neat byways and gardens. His black clothing was out of place anyway, his long hair at least not so unusual amidst the high-class families and merchants, but he was a stranger here, and practically everyone in Gaoling knew every face by heart. Better not to attract any attention.

So, keeping an eye on his bird, he slipped quietly through the shadows between houses and shops, leaping into the trees when stone gave way to broad tree-lined avenues. The hawk was obviously going somewhere intentionally, not lazing about in the sky or even circling to hunt. He was well out of the city and up a rise before he at last broke cover, just as the black hawk, the yellow streaks in his flight feathers showing as he fanned his wings out, settled down on something beyond the next stand of brush.

"You'd better have a pretty good reason for coming out here, you dumb bird," he grumbled, marching forward.

"He does."

A form stepped out of the brush, the large hawk balanced expertly on his forearm.

"It's nice to meet you, Shinigami."


	7. Bold United Souls

Sorry this one is a bit late!

Also, someone entered my soundtrack contest on the last chapter. Results at the end. Keep it up!

Enjoy!

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Part 6: Bold United Souls

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North Point was a busy harbor, filled with metal ships and many people. It was the best place for overland trade to connect with vessels that would continue on to the North Pole, and it was in the shadow of the peak of what had once been the Northern Air Temple, now the home of the Mechanists. These were the tinkerers and builders, crafters of technological wonders, all contained within their Temple and virtually never shared with the outside world since the end of The Fire Lord's War nearly two hundred years prior. Theirs was a mysterious secret society, aloof and separate like the Temple they called their home.

The village of North Point was a hub of activity at all times of the day and night, enhanced by the seemingly endless sounds of metal screeching and clanging as it echoed down through the valley from the Temple above. In all the moving of supplies between ships, the merchants set up to sell the very few new gadgets from up the mountain to the travelers who might be passing through, and the nearly-endless stream of people from every origin passing through the village, who was to notice a few more? Especially when they arrived in disguise and only revealed their true nature when well away from the town.

Under the cover of darkness, several dozen fighters, dressed in black, their faces concealed, crept beyond the watchtowers at the base of the mountain and began the climb. The Northern Air Temple had once been totally inaccessible from the ground, but generations gone by had built stairs and paths up, and these now served those with malice in their hearts quite well.

The lead attacker, identified by a black helmet with a distinctive spike decoration, signaled for stillness as they crossed onto the broad bridge that spanned the last gap in the mountainous crags and came within view of the main gates of the Temple. He raised his arm to command them forward when a sudden blaze of light caused him to pause.

"Turn back or be destroyed," a voice ordered angrily. Between the column of fighters and the gates of the Temple a lone figure stood, wearing a mask of the Sun Warriors. A white cloak whipped about his shoulders in the wind, and his upraised hand held a bright flare of fire.

"For the Order!" the leader shouted, beginning the charge.

Behind his mask, Wufei sneered. "If that is your choice, so be it!"

Flame in one hand, a sword in the other, Wufei threw himself at the lead opponent, the commander, and attacked. For all that the black-clad leader was also a firebender, he seemed surprised to find himself confronted with the ferocity of Wufei's charge. Wufei didn't even bother with defeating him – rather, he simply blasted him off the narrow pathway with a fireball, leaving the man to die from the fall or save himself if he had the strength to firebend his momentum to safety. Then he turned to the remaining masked fighters.

"This is your final warning," he growled.

From somewhere towards the back of the crowd, a cry went up. Wufei's eyebrows rose to see several of the men fighting amongst themselves. He shook his head in disgust.

"You are pathetic!" he roared, throwing himself at them with fire and blade extended. "If you cannot even face one warrior, you do not deserve to fight at all!"

The battle passed as a blur. There were firebenders, earthbenders, and even a few waterbenders in the crowd, but mostly they were non-benders armed with spears and swords. Wufei danced among them, cutting them down or casting them aside, heedless of the blood he spilled or the burns he left behind. He was ruthless, and more than a few of the black-clad warriors found themselves frozen as they watched him take down their companions in a blaze of speed and skill.

But in time, they gathered their courage and charged him in one mass, their odds much better if they overwhelmed him than if they tried to defeat him one at a time. An earthbender managed to avoid notice long enough to wrap stone around Wufei's legs to his knees, pulling him into the earthen bridge.

Wufei fought against the pull, but his arms were dragged down until he was half-buried in solid stone, only his head and shoulders still free. If not for the fact that the bridge was thicker than a two-storied house, his feet would have been dangling in midair below. He looked up fearlessly, facing the multitudes with fury.

"You are all dishonorable ratdogs!" he shouted at them.

One soldier lifted a hefty blade and made to strike.

Only to be blown off his feet.

Wufei turned sharply to see a form dressed exactly like the others – all in black, dark armor glinting in the pale light of the stars – but behind the black cloth tied over the bottom of the face, he could make out a different shape. As he watched, the cloth fell away, leaving a blank, expressionless mask. The helmet was also tossed to one side.

"Where'd he come from?" one of the others demanded, turning to the unknown figure.

The masked airbender gave them no opportunity to reply, instead sweeping forward to draw an enormous gust of wind upwards, pushing the full compliment of fighters back from the firebender they had encased in stone, and not a few of them went off the bridge completely. He ran forward lightly until he was at Wufei's side.

"Don't move," he said in a low voice.

Trowa gathered himself, breathing the clear air of the sky, and reading in it the frenzied actions of the rest of their opponents trying to scramble back to some kind of formation (and rescue those who had fallen if there was anyone quick enough to grab onto something). He was not an earthbender, but he had developed a trick of his own to deal with them.

He put his hands on either side of the firebender's body, thumbs against his pinned arms and palms down on the ground itself, forcing his mind to ignore the closeness, the heat and smoke he could smell that radiated from the firebender, the strangeness of their situation. Their foreheads were nearly touching, and the firebender was demanding answers, but Trowa ignored him. He had to focus. Yes – he could sense the tiny pocket of air between the rock below and the person embedded in it, just a sliver, less than the eye could see in some places, even. It was enough.

With a great push, he shoved more air into the sliver of a crack and blew apart the ground, leaving a wide crater deeper than his own height in the stone bridge, freeing the firebender and scattering chunks of the pathway in all directions.

The firebender took the blast of air in stride, turning his sudden upward momentum into an excuse to fall upon the remaining attackers as a fireball. Below him, the airbender continued throwing the black-clad force from the narrow path, easily dodging their attacks as though a leaf on the wind.

As he landed, however, Wufei noticed something and shouted. "Look out!"

The airbender turned in time that the dagger, thrown by someone already falling down the mountainside, merely cut along his abdomen rather than embedding itself there. The airbender hissed in pain, turning the hiss into a torrent of wind that cleared all but Wufei from the immediate area.

"Thanks," he said. He pressed one hand against the blood that had begun to drip.

"My debt is repaid for your assistance," Wufei answered, stepping up. He studied the mask across from him, rapidly reaching the only logical conclusion. "You are of the Order."

"I am No-Name," the airbender replied.

"You must have a name," Wufei countered, eyes narrowing. "Names give us our place, even if the others don't think so and insist on giving us these foolish codes instead."

"Then call me Trowa."

"The Order calls me Nataku, but I am Wufei," he replied. A sudden sound, and the two moved back-to-back as if they had fought together their whole lives. "And these cowards are not done yet."

"But they will be," Trowa replied with a wryness in his voice. "We only need to give them a better reason to fear us."

Wufei smiled in spite of himself, reading the plan as clearly as if it had been spoken aloud. He began to move his arms in broad strokes before him, creating waves of flame and cycling it around them in a ring. Behind him, Trowa was nearly mirroring his actions, fueling the fire with racing air and shaping the ring into a vortex of both their powers combined.

They could feel it, a harmony of purpose.

Together, they lifted their hands and drew the cyclone up and closed it into a broad sphere. Then, with no signal but the rightness of it, they blasted outwards.

Fire and air exploded like a starburst, lighting up the entire mountaintop. Those who had not already fallen or died in the battle burned even as they were ripped from the ground and thrown into the sky. In moments, the only ones left standing were the two masked figures.

Wufei turned first, eyes glancing to Trowa's injured side. "You will be vulnerable if you are hurt."

"The mission does not account for time to rest," Trowa replied. "Especially now." He nodded significantly to where their fight had drawn out the Mechanists, who were opening their gate and coming to investigate. Even if they had prevented an attack on the Mechanist base, they were hardly welcome among their number. The Mechanists had never really approved of the Order and had no members in it.

"Blast the mission then," Wufei scowled, pulling Trowa's uninjured side against him and putting an arm across his back. "It is not dishonorable to be whole before your next battle."

Trowa huffed a laugh. He cinched his arm around Wufei's shoulders and took a deep breath. As one, they began running for the path down the mountain and away from the Mechanists. But at the first set of stairs, Trowa jumped, pushing air beneath him as he did. Wufei tightened his hold, adding a tiny jet of flame to stabilize himself as Trowa controlled their fall through space to the dark, forest-covered valley below.

-==OOO==-

"Who are you and how do you know about Shinigami?"

"Deathscythe knows me," the masked figure replied. The late afternoon sun glinted off the visage of the Blue Spirit, worked in colorless metal. "I'm one of you."

"Deathscythe, you traitor," the braided young man grumbled. Then he shifted into a defensive posture. "But why should I believe you? How can you prove you're part of this and not part of the other side?"

"History is an endless waltz," the masked figure intoned. "An unending dance of peace, rebellion, and war."

"What three can destroy, five can repair," he replied in surprise. "Okay, so you know the codes and phrases. You could still be a spy, though."

"But I'm not," he stepped forward. Deathscythe hopped up his arm to his shoulder, leaving his hands free. He moved slowly, lifting the mask to reveal sun-gold hair, a pale face, and blue-green eyes. "I'm Quatre Raberba. I'm the one they call Spirit."

Something in the earnestness of the gaze made the wary bender want to believe. That, and he'd never ever seen Deathscythe take to anyone before, and here he was practically cuddling into the yellow hair. Hawks _don't_ cuddle. He relaxed his stance.

"I'm Duo," he found himself saying. "I run and hide, but I never tell a lie." Then he smiled. "Pretty clever of you to make friends with my hawk. I take it you got orders to find me?"

"Something like that," Quatre replied. "You heard about the magistrate?"

"Yeah, corrupt old dude. Gaoling's part of the independent movement, and sold them out to the Earth Kingdom and split."

"Right. A group of our opponents are on their way here to take control."

"We'd better go give them a good welcome then," Duo quipped. Quatre smiled brightly. Deathscythe gave a cantankerous chirp, and they both laughed. "Sorry. That bottomless pit hasn't been fed today."

"It's okay. Mine's hunting, so he'll bring back enough."

"Here," Duo reached out an arm. He made to draw his black hawk onto his shoulder, ignoring the piercing green-blue eyes that watched him carefully. Still, he was close enough to Quatre that he could sense his heartbeat, feel the thrum of his pulse in the slim body. He could feel his own heart speed up in response.

Deathscythe obediently moved to his arm, and Duo turned away quickly.

"Come on," Quatre said as though nothing had happened. "We've got to hurry if we want to intercept them before they get to the city."

Duo nodded and found himself falling into step beside the stranger. _New ally_, he corrected himself. As they walked, Quatre elaborated on the orders they had both received, detailing the route being taken by their enemies, their numbers, and their primary target in the force they were intercepting – a non-bender who was part of the Earth King's Council while also being of the Order of the Black Lotus, and certainly too much a danger to let escape. He would be well-guarded, but by only a dozen troops, and none of them benders, either.

"How do you know all this?" Duo eventually asked. Quatre shrugged, looking so innocent Duo knew it was a front.

"I just know how to listen."

"Yeah, and I'm actually the Fire Lord," he replied, grinning. "You're...pretty well placed in the Order, aren't you?"

"You could say that," Quatre replied evasively. Duo intended to press more, but Quatre held a hand up, creeping around a large boulder. "There."

Below, on a shady road not far from Gaoling, the soldiers rode, their noble commander protectively in the center.

"Got any ideas?" Duo asked, stretching his muscles and drawing a dagger while he shrugged Deathscythe to a nearby perch.

"As a matter of fact," Quatre replied, eyes alive with a spark of something dangerous, "yes, I do. Can you take the entire left flank by yourself?"

"Count on it," Duo smiled with a wicked light.

"See you down there, then," Quatre nodded as he pulled out his mask again and affixed it. He moved off to one side and walked calmly down the grassy hill until he came out on the road before the approaching force. Duo used the surprise of the group as they pulled to a stop to slip around behind, donning his own mask as well.

"Halt! Who are you and how dare you bar our path?" one of the soldiers yelled, raising a spear and pointing it at the masked individual who had appeared out of nowhere.

"You can't be allowed to do what you've come here to do," Quatre replied. He reached beneath the long, light-brown cloak he wore to draw two curved blades. "Turn back or I'm going to make sure you don't cause any more harm."

"Men, attack!"

As Duo crept up the road behind the men, he had to admire Quatre's skill. The bright-haired young man had swung directly into battle, slashing with both blades as though they were extensions of himself. He seemed to know exactly where to be and where not to be as he dodged the soldiers easily. But Duo had work of his own to do.

He had cut down three of the soldiers in perfect silence before anyone even thought to turn around, and the sight of the unagi mask caused a few more soldiers to freeze for an instant, giving him easy access to strike before they became a threat.

"Sir, you must escape!" one of the soldiers shouted, even as he fell beneath Duo's blade.

"Shinigami!" Quatre shouted. Duo looked up to see their target kick his ostrich-horse and take off up the path. Quatre cut down the last of the soldiers and looked after their fleeing target. "We've got to stop him!"

"Okay, I can do something about this, but you gotta promise not to panic. Hear me?" Duo said, words sharp and intent.

"I won't panic," Quatre replied solidly, moving to his side.

"Here goes, then."

Duo eyed their target for one last moment. Then he stretched his right arm straight out in front of him, pushing back his sleeve. With the speed of a striking serpent, he jammed the first two fingers of his left hand into two or three different places on the outstretched arm. At once, the pale skin began to darken as though swelling from within.

But when Duo raised the flushed right hand and jerked his fingers, their target rocked in his saddle as though struck by lightning.

The ostrich-horse reared, toppling over on itself and its rider, before getting to its feet and running away. The nobleman tried to rise, but found himself frozen in a strained crouch. He let out an anguished croak.

"You're…bloodbending," Quatre's voice was breathless with surprise. "But how? It's not even nighttime, let alone a full moon."

"If you change the energy in your body," Duo replied, never taking his eyes from their target, "it changes your bending. Technically I'm a waterbender. But I can concentrate all my bending energy into bloodbending by adjusting my chi."

"But, your arm…" Quatre trailed off. The skin was now angrily flushed and red with dark streaks like cracks in an eerie pattern, and the joints of the hand were wide and swollen, as though badly infected.

"Everything in balance, right?" he asked wryly, gesturing with the blood-filled hand and causing the target to go down, limp and still. "If you want power, you gotta give something else up in return."

Satisfied that his work was done, Duo jabbed his left hand into his right shoulder, twisting the flesh and muscle roughly. Almost at once, the swelling began to decrease visibly. He ripped off his mask and gulped air.

"I can only do it for so long," he explained, "and when it's too much, I have to stop or I could really hurt myself. And after I do it I can't bloodbend again for a while. Sol—somebody described it like a well fed from an underground river. It'll always be full as long as the river is flowing, but if you drain the well to get a whole lot of water all at once, it'll take time for the river to replace what you took." He shook his arm, still dark and mottled in color, but much less puffy. "Even if I were a good waterbender, and I'm not, I can't do any kind of bending at all after I use that technique too much. I gotta let the chi in my body build back up. But it's a useful skill in our line of work."

"Duo," Quatre said softly, pulling off his own mask. Violet eyes met a blue-green, and unexpectedly sad, gaze. "I may not be a bender myself, but I'm sure you could be a good waterbender. However, your way of forcing yourself to bloodbend without a full moon is burning your gift right out of you, maybe even ruining your potential. You're sacrificing the future of what you could be for the sake of the war we're fighting."

"Don't tell me it's terrible, 'cause I already know that," Duo replied tensely. He moved down the path to look at their fallen target, kicking him just to be sure he was really dead. "But it keeps me alive. And maybe if people stop being so stupid, maybe someday I can lean real waterbending and do that instead of this."

"I'm sure you can. Only powerful waterbenders can bloodbend, at least in the traditional way."

"If this fighting ends, I'll never bloodbend again," Duo said with sudden passion. "I hate it. I can feel other people's blood and it's like a twitch inside my skin. I can feel the heartbeat, the flood of terror, all of it. We have to end this fighting because I don't ever want to feel this when we're done."

He eyed Quatre, saw the slight look of concern, and forced himself to smile. "Hey, be happy at least you're not a bender. For all the nifty stuff, it's really not all it's cracked up to be."

Quatre managed a smile in return, brittle but warm. "I believe you."

-==OOO==-

General Zechs longed to rub his temples, but that would mean removing his signature mask, so he sighed deeply instead. His eyes ached and his head pounded, and yet there were still more parchments and messages and scrolls piled before him in an unending mess. He'd been up for two full days, and yet there was even more to do than there had been before he'd started.

And he felt the pang of it every time he opened a scroll or unfolded a message penned in his father's familiar handwriting.

But publicly Zechs was nothing more to Darlian than an ally and political friend, so he could not let himself show even the slightest reaction to the Chancellor's death or to his last written words that might be out of the character Zechs had crafted for himself. The situation was deteriorating rapidly, and Zechs could not allow himself to lose even the slightest amount of face or influence or trust if he wished to keep up his father's work. The Lightning Count's only advantage now was his secret – and Relena's. If not for his own sake, he could keep up the ruse for hers. Relena would be in enough danger once she reached Republic City and claimed her place; he would not betray her preemptively.

But if these reports and transcripts piled up any farther, Zechs might miss her announcement entirely, even knowing it was at least two or three weeks away, depending on how fast she and Noin were traveling. There was just so much to go through, and he trusted no one with it but himself. He would have trusted Noin, of course, but she was with Relena.

The attack on Darlian could only have been arranged by someone on the Council, someone close enough to the Chancellor, and by extension the Earth King, to know on which night Darlian would be outside the innermost ring of Ba Sing Se, away from the security of the palace. It could only have come from someone dangerously nearby. Someone powerful, influential, and now, a traitor.

And Zechs _would find him_.

He was just unrolling another intelligence report, one by a soldier he had trained himself and whose words he typically trusted, when a shout echoed through the corridor beyond. In one movement, Zechs was on his feet, rushing to his door and flinging it open. It was just before dawn, and even the extra soldiers on duty after Darlian's assassination were at their weakest at the end of an overnight shift that left them only fairly alert.

It was the perfect time for an attack.

Zechs followed the unmistakable sounds of a battle through the broad hallway, his face creasing as he approached the doors that led to the Earth King's private wing. But the fight was to the left instead, down where some other agents of the government had their own private offices. He rounded the corner at a dead run and emerged into chaos.

Six guards were down, and four more were in the process of being smashed into the walls with what could only be portions of the floor, ripped up by earthbending. In the center stood a figure Zechs recognized with fury – the masked attacker from before.

Without a sound, he launched into battle, just in time to deflect a sharp section of stone that would have been the death of one of his men. The unknown earthbender turned to him slowly, his warrior's mask hiding any expression. They spent a tiny moment in stillness, each regarding the other from behind a mask, until Zechs ended the stalemate with a frontal attack. He kicked a section of the damaged floor at his opponent, following it up with a crush from the walls on either side, and leaping forward even as he drew his long, silvery blade from its customary place at his hip.

The unknown earthbender dodged the first attack and redirected the second, raising an armored forearm to catch the blade. Almost quicker than Zechs could follow with his eyes, the block turned into a punch, and as the fist connected with his jaw he felt the stone beneath his feet shifting, too. He managed to turn his backwards momentum into a roll, evading the crush from below. But he knew something the earthbender before him couldn't possibly know, and he smiled in satisfaction.

Zechs didn't even bother standing up – he just dug his fingers into the stone floor and _pulled_.

Metal chains, added secretly to all stonework near the Earth King's chambers for this very reason, rose out of the broken floor. The chains had been wrapped in a thin layer of wood, but the attack against Zechs had splintered their casing, opening Zech's sense to them. The unknown earthbender might have been aware of _something_ strange in the floor, but the sheer amount of gold decorating the tiles and walls and doorways and the ceiling above tended to blur even an exceptional bender's ability to read the earth clearly. The chains were technically not in the floor at all, but lodged carefully just above the gilded ceiling a level down.

One single crack in the casing and Zechs, knowing what to look for, was able to take command of them. He twined them about the masked earthbender cinching his arms down and breaking his root to the ground. A gesture from Zechs and his opponent hung suspended, chains squeezing so tightly they drew blood in a few places.

A moment later, the hallway was filled with soldiers. Zechs privately decided the men in this group needed more drilling if this was the speed with which they reacted to an incursion in the palace.

"Kill me," the masked earthbender spoke for the first time in a flat tone. Zechs rose smoothly, taking a specially-made set of wooden manacles from one of the newly-arrived guards. They were long tubes, with hollow spheres at one end which could be closed about a bender's fists, locking their arms together elbow-to-wrist and enclosing their hands completely. They had to be tied with leather straps, but they were nearly impossible for an earthbender to bend through.

"I won't," Zechs replied, "until we learn everything we need from you."

"Kill me now, or when I escape I will kill you."

Zechs reached forward and lifted the mask from the form before him, and though he was shocked at the young age of the boy before him, the focus and intensity of his eyes, he did not show it. Instead, with dozens of armed guards standing at the ready, he manipulated the restraining chains until he could get the boy's arms secured. One of the soldiers stepped forward with another thick leather cord, which Zechs fashioned into a noose and slipped over the boy's head.

"Fight us and you'll never breathe again," he menaced. "Take him to the most secure cell in the palace," Zechs ordered, "and mount a double guard day and night."

He was turning back to the boy when he realized the boy's face was pinched and his lips were becoming pale. A moment later, the intruder dropped in a dead faint, and it was only because of Zech's quick reflexes that he didn't tighten the noose when the boy went down. Only then could he see against the dark clothing a splash of blood that was growing by the second. Zechs tore at the cloth to find a large splinter of stone embedded in the boy's shoulder.

"Secure him first, then get a healer," he amended. "We'll interrogate him after we patch him up."

* * *

A/N:

So, we've had a partial winner for identifying songs that makes up the chapter titles and therefore the soundtrack of this fic! Raenyx, you are half correct in your guesses. Two of the four songs at the base of this story are "Seven Devils" by Florence & The Machine and "Remember the Name" by Fort Minor. Nice work! That earns you 2 requests for oneshots after the end of this story.

There are two songs left to identify. I'm going to give you this friendly warning – of those two songs, one is extremely obscure. No, seriously, extremely. It's obscure enough that, at the time I published the first few chapters of this song, nobody had even put its lyrics online. If nobody gets it by the end, I won't be totally surprised. But don't let that stop you from trying!

Also, lastly, one of my all-time favorite AMVs for A:TLA is to "Remember the Name" which is how I came upon that song. It's up on YouTube by the user periwinklerocks95. Check it out!

Until next week!


	8. In the Firing Line

So, a couple of notes on the soundtrack at the end, but that's about it.

Enjoy!

* * *

Part 7: In the Firing Line

* * *

Duo looked around the tent before flopping back on the brocade pillow with a contented sigh. War wasn't so bad if he got perks like _this_.

When he and Quatre had finished their mission at Gaoling, the non-bender had invited Duo to join him with his allies to recover while they awaited their next mission. Duo had been skeptical at first because as far as he knew, the masked fighters like themselves – five in all – were supposed to work alone. That was the whole point as he understood it, to have them as secret, solitary weapons who could resolve a situation without any kind of backup. But Quatre had explained that these allies, he called them Maganacs, were a part of the Order and also his friends.

What he didn't mention was they were a band of forty or fifty men of the desert who treated Quatre and anybody Quatre liked as if he were a prince. Thus the tent, the thick, comfortable bedding, and a ton of food Duo had been enjoying. But all of that paled to something else Quatre showed him, something the Maganacs echoed – real generosity. There were two packs at the tent-flap, stocked with supplies and maps and even money, all his now.

"You never know who you can trust out there," Quatre had shrugged when he'd handed them over. "You'll be safer if you don't have to rely on anyone or if you don't have to steal food."

"I can't take this from you," Duo had protested. Quatre had smiled warmly.

"You're not taking it. I'm giving it to you. You aren't putting us in danger by sharing in what we have in plenty."

At that moment, Duo had decided that Quatre was one of those rare things he could honestly say he'd only had once – a friend. Not just a guy you bid good morning when you pass them in the street; Quatre was a friend he could trust. Everything about him screamed that Duo was safe at his side, was welcome there even.

For an orphan who'd spent most of his life fighting to survive alone on the street, it was a heady feeling.

So he'd accepted Quatre's kindness and the friendliness of the Maganacs while they waited in the dusty low hills of the southwestern Earth Kingdom for new orders. It had been a nice, easy week of rest and, to be honest, Duo had enjoyed every minute of it.

"Duo!" Quatre's voice woke him from his musings and he sat up just as Quatre ducked through the tent-flap. "They're back!"

The bloodbender scrambled to his feet and followed his friend out into the sunlight where he could see the familiar form of Deathscythe approaching. From the same direction, a little behind, was Quatre's hawk, Sandrock, and about six more. He was going to ask about them, but Deathscythe arrived first, dropping onto his shoulder.

"Hey buddy," he greeted the hawk. "Get lost?"

Deathscythe's beak snapped shut a hair from his nose.

"Whatcha got for me, then?" Duo smiled, unfazed. He noted one of the Maganacs approaching with some fresh slivers of meat, which he fed to the hawk while Duo pulled out the message. He read quickly. "Quatre!"

"I know," Quatre looked up to meet his eyes. "I got word, too." He held up a fistful of messages from the seven birds, including Sandrock.

"How many contacts in the Order do you have, anyway?" Duo asked in surprise.

"Quite a few," Quatre replied, "but not nearly enough or we would have known sooner."

"So, what are we gonna do?"

Quatre held perfectly still for a moment, thinking quick as lightning. He shuffled through his papers one more time before looking up, and suddenly his bright eyes looked years older and wiser. The Maganacs had gathered around when the hawks arrived, more than a few serving as perches, and at his look they fell silent.

"Duo, you go to Ba Sing Se. You'll have the best chance of handling that situation. Rashid," he turned to the enormous man, "It's time to go to Republic City. Prepare to leave at first light tomorrow."

"Yes, Master Quatre." At his curt bow, the Maganacs scattered to their duties, leaving just Quatre and Duo, each still holding their hawks.

"Why Republic City, Cat?" Duo asked.

"Duo, do you trust me?"

Duo met his eyes unflinchingly. How was it that he could have known this yellow-haired non-bender for less than two weeks and yet he could answer "Yes, I do" with total confidence?

"Darlian's death was bad enough," Quatre said, stroking Sandrock idly, "but the mobilization of the Fire Nation navy is something else entirely. General Treize is hunting down whoever attacked in the Fire Nation, but he can't know that was one of us, so instead he'll go after the independent forces. Meanwhile, the Earth King's martial law restrictions are only getting more stringent. And now they have Soldier trapped as well."

He let out a breath and started to pace, speaking faster and faster. Sandrock, obviously accustomed to this, simply perched on his shoulder and fluffed his tail at the bouncing.

"My information isn't very specific, but it suggests that the power vacuum in Republic City is about to change dramatically. If I were our enemies, I would want to make certain that whoever stepped into the Chairman's position was part of the war effort, and not someone who could rally the world towards a peaceful cause. With so many moving military parts, it's too easy for the other Order to dispatch someone to start an incident and prompt an even greater war of nation against nation, or else to gain possession of Republic City's power and resources. We have to be in place to prevent both those things."

"Wait," Duo held up a hand. "I'd rather avoid an unnecessary fight too, but isn't that why we're doing what we're doing? To liberate the independents from the Old Fogeys? I get how a fake fight won't do us any good, but we're gonna have to have a full-out war at some point. Why not start it now?"

Quatre stopped and looked at him sharply. "We're fighting for a lot more than the independents, Duo," he said, frowning. "Our Order isn't on either side of that conflict, except by necessity. We're against the Order of the Black Lotus, and anything they want, we have to stop."

"But why? What do they want, if not war to defeat the independents?"

Quatre smiled grimly. "They're trying to crack the very world apart."

-==OOO==-

Wufei woke with a start, bringing himself to full alertness before he'd even opened his eyes. He looked automatically to where the airbender Trowa should have been standing watch.

Instead, Shenlong blinked at him in the morning light.

Wufei frowned as he threw aside the bedroll and got to his feet. The camp looked as he'd seen it when he'd switched watch with Trowa in the middle of the night, minus one airbender and his few belongings. They had been moving south for a few days, taking it slow while Trowa's injured side healed. They'd also taken turns sending their hawks off to see if there were new orders waiting, while they hiked through the mountains towards the broader flat plains of the northern Earth Kingdom.

Wufei's temper began to rise. How could that airbender have just taken off in the night like that?

But the next moment he spotted a message in Shenlong's carrier. He drew it out and read the note twice:

_I've received my orders and must leave immediately. I apologize for not saying goodbye, but then, what would you have me say? I will see you again. Yell at me then if you wish. No-Name_

"Trowa…" Wufei growled. Oh, he would take Trowa up on the offer to yell at him when next they met without a doubt. How _dare_ he? Not only had he left during his watch, which was dishonorable to begin with, but he'd left this excuse for a goodbye letter and signed it No-Name instead of with his real name. As if Trowa wanted to pretend they were merely warriors temporarily sharing quarters.

"But what are you other than that?" whispered the tiny conscience of Wufei's mind that always sounded suspiciously like _her_. "After all, you patched him up, but other than that you barely spoke to one another. Even if you did let him watch your back while you slept, and you haven't let anyone do that before, _ever_."

"He's part of this fight," Wufei said aloud, not caring if Shenlong heard him talking to himself. It wouldn't be the first time. "He's part of the path I have chosen. That makes him much more than nothing."

"A friend?" the voice teased.

Wufei snorted and set about packing up his own belongings. He may not have received any new messages, but he had a course of action he could follow now that he was again on his own. And if he was avoiding answering that question, well, it was inside his head and a man was permitted to ignore himself, wasn't he?

As he set off, turning west instead of south now, Wufei cast Shenlong into the sky. He supposed the hawk could have searched out Trowa, as these messenger hawks were amazingly good at locating anyone they recognized, but he decided to leave it. If Trowa wished to reach him, he'd send that fire-colored hawk Heavyarms for Wufei instead.

But Shenlong needed to do his rounds to find out if there was new information for Wufei while he followed up on his own. There was something in those black-clad benders who had attacked the Mechanists that was familiar, familiar and unsettling. Wufei would not miss his opportunity if it came up, but he was not willing to compromise his time on misinformation, either, and he wasn't that far from a source he knew he could trust to provide him with unique insight into things.

Neither he nor Trowa had spoken of remorse for their actions on the bridge and the more than a few lives they had taken, but it was clear enough without words. As far as Wufei knew, their opponents had simply been acting on orders like good soldiers. It wasn't necessarily their fault that those who commanded them were dishonorable and foolish. But holding back in a fight was dishonorable, too. As far as Wufei was concerned, if someone challenged him, he would end the combat by any means necessary, no matter the reason for the challenge.

But when he found those who gave the orders, those who commanded the soldiers to go to their deaths against him, Wufei would take his vengeance for a thousand pains, his and others', without fail.

The Order of the Black Lotus would fall at his hands, or he would die in the attempt.

In the next village, Wufei purchased an ostrich-horse, which he pushed to its best sustainable speed. He couldn't have said why, but he sensed that there was more urgency than he knew for his errand. It was two more days before he and the tired beast at last came to a stop outside a small, isolated house half a day from the nearest settlement.

Just as Wufei was about to knock at the door, Shenlong appeared at last. The hawk was not content to wait for his reward and was being rather noisy about it, so Wufei returned to the ostrich-horse for a portion of dried meat. While the hawk ate eagerly, he unrolled the message Shenlong had carried.

"You shouldn't be here."

The voice caught him by surprise as he hadn't heard the door open, but he covered the expression at once. "Nor should you," Wufei replied. He put the unread message in a pocket of his saddlebag and bowed low. "But for as long as you insist on living so far from all else, I will make my way to whatever home you have claimed, uncle."

"Not many could find an old man who did not want to be found."

"Not many have been taught to find that which is hidden to all others by one who has known wisdom," Wufei said. "If you wished not to be found, you ought never to have taught me your tricks."

"It is good to see you, child." The man's hair was snow-white, his face dark and lined, and his black eyes were sharp. "But I shall move house again if you do not cease your unannounced visits, nephew."

Wufei, smiling and relaxing as he never permitted himself anymore, was beginning to step forward when Shenlong threw his head up and screamed a warning.

Everything happened too quickly after that. A dozen black-clad warriors appeared from the surrounding trees and rocks, and there was a blast of fire and earth. Wufei was knocked back into his ostrich-horse, though he came up prepared to fight.

"_NO_!"

He was moving without thought, flinging fire about him fueled by pure rage. But even he had to skid to a halt at the inferno that had been his uncle's house. And there…in the flickering…charred but recognizable and horribly familiar...

"_COWARDS_!" he bellowed his fury as his heart tore free of its moorings awash in pain. "_I WILL KILL YOU ALL_!"

Four of the attackers fell in his first wave of fire. The rest fled through the trees, Wufei racing after them with flame jetting him forward at amazing speeds. But even he could not keep up when the remaining soldiers reached a set of waiting eelhounds. Wufei killed two more before their mounts raced out of range.

Seething, shaking, blinded by loss and an anger so potent it choked him, he sank to his knees beside the body of one of the earthbenders he had managed to eliminate. His hands moved of their own accord, searching the body almost automatically.

And his trembling fingers closed on a single pai sho tile.

Wufei drew up out of his grief enough to examine it. It was black, the symbol of his enemies. And it was a particular tile, one never used outside Republic City, where the game had taken an unusual deviation in the last two generations.

He had learned the game at that man's knee, long ago, and all its regional variations. That man who was still burning to ashes even now, the man who had been nothing but a source of wisdom and patience and perspective. And now Wufei had brought him death for no reason other than a hunch and his own stubborn pride.

The firebender squeezed the tile until its wooden corners bit into his palm. He got shakily to his feet and began to move back through the trees to recover his wayward ostrich-horse.

"I _will_ find you in Republic City, you murderers," he growled around a throat closed in shame and pain. "I will find you and I _will_ have justice for my uncle as well as the others. I swear it."

Only Shenlong saw his tears.

-==OOO==-

Zechs looked over his prisoner with a critical eye. The boy had taken a fairly serious wound, but a healer had patched it up enough that he was no longer in danger; still, it would slow him down if he attempted to fight with it. That was assuming he could even break free of the most secure cell in the Earth Kingdom.

It was a room sealed in wood, not a stitch of metal or stone anywhere within. The boy was restrained, tied down to a sturdy wooden table with each arm and leg enclosed in wooden manacles that were bound with a double-layer of thick leather.

The boy appeared to be awake, but no matter what Zechs said or threatened or offered he never so much as shifted the intensely blue eyes to look at him. He'd accepted water when it was given, but not food.

"You're going to die," Zechs told him angrily, realizing how many days had passed. "You're going to die and you won't even tell me why."

But the boy continued to stare at the wooden ceiling with granite stoicism.

Zechs turned away in disgust. "You come here, you begin a war against the Earth Kingdom, and you're going to die just as mysteriously. I hope it is what you wanted."

As he stormed through the door and latched it, he missed the closing of the boy's eyes and the small, satisfied smile.

* * *

A/N:

So, we have a new winner for the soundtrack competition! Miranda Shadowind correctly identified the third song in our soundtrack as "We Are One" by 12 Stones. Which is, incidentally, the song set to one of my all-time favorite AMVs for TMNT. Miranda Shadowind, you get to call a oneshot for the series!

That leaves us with one, the extremely obscure song. When you hear it, though, you'll understand why it is perfect for this story and for Gundam Wing in general. I promise.

What I forgot to mention last week was that now I really want someone to make an AMV for Gundam Wing to "Remember the Name" by Fort Minor. It's got 6 verses between the choruses in 2 sets of 3. And I think you can correlate each verse with one of the Gundams. Here's how I see it:

Verse 1 (He doesn't need his name up in lights) = Heero  
Verse 2 (Who the hell is he anyway?) = Trowa  
Verse 3 (This is twenty percent skill, eighty percent fear) = Wufei  
Verse 4 (They call him Ryu the sick and he's spitting fire) = Zechs (and Treize)  
Verse 5 (He's not your everyday on the block) = Duo  
Verse 6 (Nobody knows how or why he works so hard) = Quatre

The problem is that I have absolutely no ability to make AMVs! If you know anybody who does AMVs, get this one made! And I'll write anything you ask of me if, when you do, you get the video-person to put Wufei sitting next to Sally at the line in his verse "I heard he's f-ing with S-dot." Because, seriously!


	9. Vows Upon My Chest

I am so sorry, you guys. This past weekend was my 4-day retreat/vacation and I basically unplugged from the internet for the whole of it. Other than a few emails, I pretty much walked away. And it was good. I distinctly needed it. However, I forgot to post a chapter and the really exciting news to go with it! To make up for it, here's 2 chapters today and another this weekend as usual.

But here's the awesome news! Miranda Shadowind made me fanart! It's the very first ever fanart anyone has ever drawn for me! It comes from Part 2 (Chapter 3). won't allow me to post a direct link, but you can find it at her DA profile page if just take out the spaces: miranda-shadowind . deviantart . com . I'll be posting it in-chapter on the AO3 site.

Anyway, here's two more for you. Enjoy!

* * *

Part 8: Vows Upon My Chest

* * *

Relena tipped her head back to squint at the sunlight that streamed between the thick leaves of the trees overhead. The wind blew softly and for moment she felt a deep sense of peace and contentment wash through her. The forest was quiet, only the sounds of the ostrich-horses on the vague trail and the chirping of the birds sounding against the breeze.

"It's nice to be here," she said, feeling reality creep back into her mind even as she spoke.

"Yes it is," Noin answered kindly. "I've been in every major city and most of the big towns in the world, and I never like them nearly as well as just being out in the wild places."

Relena turned to look at Noin, who, indeed, was smiling serenely, calm and open. It was a welcome change from the fierce protectiveness of the first few days of their trip. Even without Relena mentioning her midnight visit from the earthbender Heero, Noin had jumped at every sound, taking her responsibility for Relena's safety to towering heights of worry and watchfulness. But now, days out of Ba Sing Se, hours from the main roads, here she had finally relaxed.

Relena began to understand why Noin had insisted they travel anonymously and far from the common ways between the cities. Noin was a talented earthbender, and while she walked beside the ostrich-horse, she could sense virtually everything in their surroundings. Barring an assault from above, which seemed unlikely given the thickness of the forest canopy above, there was no one who could sneak up on them here. It made their journey slower but decidedly safer. And, as Relena considered the whirlwind speed with which they had practically sprinted through the outlying lands of Ba Sing Se, a speed she expected to resume once they reached the areas nearest Republic City, taking it slowly in between seemed fair.

"If you don't mind my asking," Relena said, feeling at last that the tension draining away from Noin might give her an opening for her curiosity, "why do you travel so much? I mean, you and my brother…"

Noin looked at her sharply before nodding – the chances to speak openly about the masked general were few and far between, but if anyplace was safe deep in a forest in the middle of nowhere was probably the right choice. Still, she paused momentarily to feel the earth beneath her feet to confirm their isolation before continuing to walk between where Relena rode and the two ostrich-horses, loaded with their supplies.

"Zechs travels too, when he can," Noin answered. "For all he's spent most of his life in one city or another, he's as free-spirited as an Air Nomad when he gets the chance. Always wants to be everywhere at once."

"But his duties keep him near the Earth King," Relena finished, understanding. "And yours don't."

"Exactly. There's not many people Zechs really trusts – just me, a handful of his trained men, and a few allies from the other nations. So when he needs information or has to send a message he can't risk being intercepted, he usually sends me."

"Allies in other nations?"

"You must always know where you stand with your enemies. Sometimes it is useful to count a friend among the leaders of your opponents. And besides," Noin smiled darkly, "there are people in every nation who don't want a war. Even if we have to go up against them in the end, when peace comes, we know who will embrace it with us. You'll need allies of your own in the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes as well as Republic City and the independent forces before long."

"Who are my brother's friends? Could I trust them?" Relena wanted to know.

"Some of them," Noin allowed. "You'll like Sally when you meet her, I bet. She's a pretty influential Water Tribe healer, and she and I have known each other for years. Our friends in the Fire Nation are trickier. Until they know about your connection to your brother, you probably won't be able to trust them completely, but Treize and Une will give you at least something in the way of an alliance on my say-so."

"Treize? As in the Fire Lord's son?" Relena was surprised. "My brother is friends with Prince Treize?"

"More than that," Noin said. "Treize owes Zechs his life, and he takes that debt very seriously. But he always has his own plans, too, and Zechs doesn't usually like them. Treize may act against us somewhat even if I speak for you for Zechs. But he won't ever betray your brother, and by extension, he won't ever threaten you even if he's crashing the world down around your ears."

"But how did my brother…?" Relena broke off, wondering at what on earth could have happened between the general of the Earth Kingdom and the prince of the Fire Nation. Even in the best of times, the two should never have been more than cautious allies.

Noin grinned. "That's the story I'm supposed to tell you. I guess now's as good a time as any."

_It had only been a few years since the death of Avatar Yuy. The world was still in absolute chaos between the forces who had murdered the Avatar attacking targets at random, some provinces still clamoring for independence, the people in a panic, and the Old Four scrambling to fill the power vacuum left in the wake of it all. Though battles were becoming more rare as the forces of the Order of the Black Lotus began to scale back in their actions, there were still those who struck against their enemies with deadly force._

_Noin had been assigned to a small squad of Earth Kingdom soldiers in spite of her age because of her prodigious skill with earthbending. Along with her was Zechs, with whom she had shared many earthbending classes in the last year and a half, and who, it seemed, was well on his way into becoming a commander. They had forged a friendship inasmuch as Zechs ever befriended anybody; he was known to be withdrawn and stoic even during his leisure time. But now they were on the front lines where manpower was spread thinly, and there was no thought of idle conversation for either of them._

_Their squad was providing security to an envoy from the Fire Nation, escorting them on the last part of their trip across the East Lake to Ba Sing Se. The ferry would leave at sunset, and would have waterbenders as guards for the duration across the lake, but the accommodations set up for the brief wait at the shore was patrolled by the Earth Kingdom forces. _

_The Fire Nation delegation had only just arrived when the attack began._

_Noin was quickly caught up in battle against black-clad benders as well as soldiers, more of them than there were of the combined Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation guards. She had no time to think, only to react, and soon lost herself in combat. But after an eternity of earthbending she became aware of a breech in the lines, a place through which multiple enemies were rushing to the temporary shelter building in which the Fire Nation diplomats were unprotected. She began to run._

_When Noin was only a handful of steps from the nearest stone-and-fabric wall, it blew outward in spectacular fashion. A young man in a Fire Nation uniform was throwing fire around in a defensive pattern while the other members of the delegation ran from the building. Noin immediately pulled up a thick wall of earth and shouted to them, even as she began constructing a solid cube in which they could shelter. The unknown firebender nodded at her and focused on protecting them from the rear._

_Which is why neither of them saw the black-clad firebender until it was too late._

_The charge of the atmosphere, the crackling sound was the only warning they had. Noin looked up in horror to see one of the attackers cut lightning from the air and blast it forward. She couldn't drop the earthbending in her hands fast enough to intervene._

_But before the lightning struck the Fire Nation firebender, Zechs was _there_, interposing himself. _

_Noin remembered that firebenders could sometimes redirect lightning, even those who could not call on it themselves, but that very few other benders ever managed it. Even waterbenders from whom the technique had come usually failed to control and release the energy of the attack, and many had died trying. For an earthbender, it was nearly impossible._

_There was a bright flash and a stomach-churning smell of charred flesh and then silence._

"So what happened?" Relena shivered in spite of the warm day, forcing herself to relax her painfully tight grip on the ostrich-horse's lead-rope.

"At first, I couldn't tell," Noin said. "The Fire Nation bender who had been saved by your brother unleashed a torrent of fire, killing the firebender who had struck Zechs down, and the rest of the Earth Kingdom soldiers found new strength and finished the fight rather quickly. I wanted to go to him – even then, I was drawn to your brother – but my first responsibility was to the diplomats. I got them all safely in my protective earthworks and then ran to Zechs's side."

Noin's voice had taken on an air of fear and painful remembrance.

"The Fire Nation bender was already leaning over him, calling for a healer. I could see the burns on Zechs's hands from where the lightning had hit him. There were clumps of his hair, it was a bit darker than yours then, actually, but now it was singed and smoking from underneath his mask, and at the slightest touch long handfuls fell out. And the mask itself was blackened."

Relena swallowed tightly as her imagination laid the image of her brother over her father's ruined body. Noin touched her knee gently. Her eyes were understanding, but she continued her story.

"When I came up to them, the firebender was in the process of removing the charred mask. But he'd only just started to lift it upwards when Zechs's hand flew up and wrapped around his wrist to stop him. 'Don't,' he said in a voice that was hoarse but proud. The bender responded, 'I would like to see the face of the one to whom I owe my very life.' Zechs laughed then, though it sounded like a cough, and said 'My face is my own, and I am better served that way. As would you be if you wore one yourself, Prince Treize.' He'd known all along who we were protecting, even though we hadn't. I'd never seen the prince before. I found out much later that Millardo had met the royal family of the Fire Nation years before, and he remembered. Treize didn't recognize him, of course."

Relena smiled as the tension in her stomach began to lessen. "Somehow I'm not surprised that my brother responded to a near-death attack by criticizing the crowned prince of the Fire Nation."

"Neither am I," Noin laughed, "although I was at the time. Anyway, a healer came and attended to his wounds, and over the next day or so the rest of his hair fell out. It was fairly gross, actually, and I don't think he let anybody but me, Treize, and the healer see it. Even with all that, though, he kept his mask on at all times, repairing it himself by feel with metalbending. Treize refused to continue on to the negotiations until Zechs had recovered enough to remain as his guard, and the two of them spent a lot of time over Zech's convalescence just talking. The prince of the Fire Nation has a reputation for calculation and coldness, but he's really very like Zechs under it all."

"So you all became friends?"

"Well," Noin shrugged, "I guess that's what you'd call it. I'm not sure there's a good word for it, though. Zechs and Treize like and respect one another, and they would kill and die for one another. But they can't always trust each other because sometimes they are on opposite sides of the field. Your brother will always put the Earth Kingdom first, even if his true goal is peace. Treize will always put the good of the Fire Nation above even his own father's will. I believe Treize would save Zech's life without a second thought, but he wouldn't necessarily tell him the truth. It's an odd friendship."

"So that's how my brother's hair turned white, then? Being struck by lightning?" Relena said, considering the rest of Noin's words and turning them over in her mind carefully.

"When it finally grew out, yes, it was the way you see it now. And it seems to grow faster, he says. Not that he minds," Noin winked. "I think he likes how unique it makes him. He stands out in any crowd, and people always identify him immediately."

"Which also helps him keep his secret," Relena nodded.

"Yes. Everything your brother does is for more than one purpose. Treize is like that, too. I think that's another reason Zechs sent me with you – not just to protect you and vouch for you in Republic City, but to vouch for you to Treize when the time comes, and to help you understand him. Also because it's more likely you'll meet Une first – she's to Treize what I am to your brother – and she and Zechs have never really gotten along. But she tolerates me pretty well."

"Do you think we'll meet them in Republic City?" Relena began to fidget as her thoughts circled back to their destination and the immanent change to the course of her life.

"Not right away. Last word we had from them, Treize and Une were doing much the same thing Zechs is – looking for whoever was behind those attacks. But when you take your place, you'll have to meet them as envoys for the Fire Nation. The Fire Lord doesn't often leave his palace anymore." Noin turned back to her own thoughts, most of which she did not care to share with her young charge. There was no need to add to Relena's worry with idle speculation about the good faith of the Fire Lord. And Noin had much speculation about it indeed.

"What's going to happen when we arrive?" Relena asked.

"Well," Noin relaxed slightly, glad for the change in topic, "we'll go straight to the Council. I've got a writ from Earth King Noventa that will get us through all the bureaucratic nonsense. Then it's mostly up to you. I can deliver the signed document from both your father and the Earth King that attests to your true identity, but you're the one who will have to convince them. That's the easy part."

"It is?" Relena was incredulous.

"For me, anyway," Noin gave her a rueful smile. "Once they name you Peacecraft of Republic City, that's when the danger really starts for you, and when the real work to patch up the world begins too."

Relena nodded and turned to face the path winding between the trees before her. "It's going to be more than I can even imagine, isn't it?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, it is," Noin said, also looking ahead, face solemn.

Relena closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep, centering breath. Her father had made this last request of her, a request to save a nation that would otherwise fall to chaos and war. And to save it she would have to step into the brewing worldwide conflict as well, not as a child or a young woman, but as an equal to the Earth King and Fire Lord. There was no telling how many lives might hang on the balance of her decisions now. No telling what world might rise from the ashes of a war or survive a brush with brother-against-brother fighting.

She thought of Heero and his role in things and felt far less alone. She straightened her spine and opened her eyes on a path she could not let herself lose.

"I can do it," she said aloud, not in her usual voice, but in an intense and confident one that sounded more like her father's than she would ever have imagined.

_I can do it_, she thought, _because I must_.

-==OOO==-

Heero relaxed.

Even with several layers of wood between him and the nearest stone, he could still feel the earth below and around him. And as he quieted his mind and heart, the inadvertent fasting aiding him, he could read the earth distantly, muted, but enough.

He could feel the other cells around him and the echoes of guards walking the halls that led back into the palace. He could feel the city that stretched around him in every direction, and if he focused, could pick out groups of people as they went about their lives. He couldn't really pick out individuals at this distance from the earth, but he did not feel the need to either.

Until he read the tremble in the earth that indicated an explosion.

Heero redoubled his listening, feeling the chaos elsewhere in the palace as earth flew apart in several separate, concussive blasts. Now the groups of people virtually all rushed in one of two directions – either towards the attack, or away from it to safety.

All but one.

One individual moved differently, slowly, with a step unique from the other earthbenders in the area. The unknown person seemed to be clinging to doorways and more out-of-the-way passages. A few times other groups rushed along the same route but none interacted with the unknown person. As if they didn't even see him or her.

To Heero's surprise, the person stopped two levels above his current position and stamped on the ground in a distinct pattern, one he knew all too well. It was one of the Order's codes.

::Soldier. Death comes for you.::

Heero closed his eyes. The time had come at last, it seemed. He was ready.

A moment later, two quick blasts tore apart the stone floors above and the wooden paneling that defined his cell. He heard a form drop through the hole into the room.

"It sure was a pain finding you down here. It's like they don't want you to have visitors or something," said a surprisingly cheerful voice. "Nice to meet you, Soldier. I'm Shinigami."

Heero opened his eyes to see someone of a similar size and build leaning over him, but that was where the similarities ended. Shinigami wore black clothing and the mask of an unagi, behind which glittered violet eyes. His rich, chestnut hair fell down his back in a thick braid past his waist.

"What? Catgator got your tongue?"

"Just do it," Heero closed his eyes again. "They'll be on their way here shortly. If you intend to escape, you need to hurry it up."

"Um, buddy, if you think I'm here to kill you, you're really a lot more rock-headed than most earthbenders," Shinigami replied. Heero opened his eyes to glare and watched a set of black daggers cut the ties holding him down with a swift movement. "I'm sure this place is a ton of fun, but I've got orders to get you out."

"Why?"

Shinigami froze, staring down at Heero, the mask betraying nothing of his expression. Then he shook his head.

"You are a piece of work, you know that?" he replied. He pulled off the wooden restraints and offered Heero a hand. "Come on."

Heero was not sure what made him take the hand to climb off the table, but the warmth of Shinigami's fingers steadied him. Still, he had only just gotten to his feet when he felt the reminder of his injury. But he was barely listing to the side for a moment before Shinigami had grabbed his good shoulder, looking critically at the arm Heero had instinctively curled against his chest.

"You gonna make it out of here?" he asked with concern.

"I didn't think so," Heero said quietly. Shinigami's tight grip felt oddly hot even through his tattered shirt and his heart thudded. His eyes swam. How long had it been since he had eaten? Since he had stood up? Probably far too long. His body was betraying him.

"Well, rescuing you is still my mission, so are you on board with it or not?"

"Mission accepted," Heero nodded sharply. Leaning on Shinigami, he felt his resolve return and he forced himself to stand straighter. Apparently it was not yet time to die after all. If he was alive, he would stay alive for now.

"Nice to hear it," Shinigami replied dryly. Then he looked up. "Your choice – up through there or out the door. Whichever you think you can handle better, I guess."

Heero looked up through the hole in the ceiling and smirked. Even injured, he could see stone once more. He reached up with his uninjured arm and pulled, bringing a solid slab of earth down into the wooden prison. Shinigami grabbed one of the leather ties and swiftly bound Heero's arm to his chest to immobilize his hurt shoulder, leaving him with a free hand with which he could earthbend them upwards.

"This way," Shinigami said as they emerged into some kind of Earth Kingdom army barracks, utterly deserted. Now that they were clear of the wood insulation, Heero could clearly feel the burning fires on the other side of the palace and the dozens of earthbenders working to repair the damage, control the fires, and clear people from the area.

"I wouldn't have taken you for a firebender," he said curiously.

"Me?" Shinigami laughed. "No way." As he led Heero through the doorway and up a flight of stairs, he pulled something from a pocket. "Homemade firebending in a jar," he explained. "Even though I'm all out of jars now."

Heero turned over the wick, its end dipped in pitch, and allowed himself a small smile.

Together, they made their way through a series of smaller, little-used corridors, Heero occasionally creating doorways where there were none. Heero knew from his previous study of the layout of the palace that they were near the eastern end of it, though several levels down, but that they would be able to emerge into a fairly clear training area if they continued on.

"You're awfully quiet, Soldier."

"There are better times to talk than this," Heero replied, but he found the corners of his mouth turning up anyway at the slight impishness of Shinigami's voice.

"Yeah, that's probably true. Oh! I grabbed this for you," and his rescuer pulled something from where he had concealed it against the small of his back. It was his mask. "I know you could always make another one, but I figured why leave it with these guys?"

"Thank you." Heero was slightly stunned. It was a gesture, utterly worthless in terms of strategic value, and yet it was oddly comforting. Gratitude sounded somewhere in his heart, but his emotions were primarily focused on his earth senses and he shook the feeling away, tucking the mask into his own shirt. It would be an easy bit of work to repair the metal strap Zechs had snapped when he'd removed it.

Shinigami was about to say something else when they both froze. They didn't even need to exchange glances to communicate – they both knew there were several men coming, and few places to hide.

A moment later and the squad of soldiers rounded the corner and walked into a fight.


	10. A Will Beyond Reach

Also, Raenyx, who correctly guessed two of the four soundtrack songs has generously opened up the giving of one of the oneshot claims to the next person to leave a review (not counting you, Miranda, since you got the third right). So, whoever is next to review, you get to claim a oneshot at the end of the tale!

One song left from the soundtrack to guess and nobody's got there yet. I told you it was hard!

Enjoy!

* * *

Part 9: A Will Beyond Reach

* * *

Trowa looked across the battlefield before gathering a gust of air to cross it at speed. The colorful carts that looked uncannily like those used by traders and wanderers were mostly in pieces now, torn apart throughout the fight. It was clever, he thought, for a group of Black Lotus members to disguise themselves as travelers, free to go anywhere with no one looking twice.

But his orders had been to eliminate them, and he had. Mostly.

He was just advancing on the last huddle of men, swordsmen instead of benders, when the scent and feel of the air warned him of another group approaching. He dodged to get a better position and saw several men burst from the treeline, already moving in offensive, earthbending motions. That was all he had time for before one of the black-clad Order men charged him, sword out.

Trowa easily evaded him, spinning him into one of his own men and redirecting a fatal blow. He sensed the earthbending around him, but remained focused on the other swordsman who seemed determined to skewer him.

They danced an entertaining set of strikes and blocks, Trowa never losing either his balance or his patience, until at last the man over-committed a blow, stretching too far. It was the work of simple momentum to turn the man's attack into an out-of-control fall that pitched him headfirst into the debris of a wagon.

Trowa turned back to the rest of the scene, only to find himself standing against a line of earthbenders in brown. They didn't exactly look like the Order of the Black Lotus, but they certainly looked ready for a fight.

He jumped at them, knocking two or three off their root to the earth in one big gust of wind, spinning between large chunks of stone that rose up before him. But airbenders and earthbenders are virtual opposites, and Trowa was outnumbered. He flipped into the air to gain the advantage of height only to feel a piece of stone catch at his ankle and yank him hard to the ground. It was only by windmilling his arms that he kept himself from being crushed entirely.

"Gotcha!" one of the earthbenders shouted. Trowa shook off the impact only to feel a band of earth catching his hands and pulling his wrists together before him in an unbreakable grip.

"Stop it!"

Trowa was already gathering himself for another blast of air, knowing at least two ways to airbend his way out of things in spite of his situation, but the voice surprised him enough to pause momentarily. From amidst the earthbenders, a form strode purposefully forward.

Wearing a mask like Trowa's own.

Except where Trowa's was blank, featureless, this one was familiar. It was wreathed with carved black feathers that extended into a full hood, and grey like the sky just before a storm, but the visage was unmistakeably the legendary Blue Spirit.

But Trowa had only a moment to notice these details before the individual pulled the mask off before him.

"I'm Spirit, like you're No-Name. I'm one of you," he said, and his voice had dropped from commanding to inviting. "We shouldn't be fighting each other."

Something in Trowa's chest constricted. There was strength in that certainty, in that confidence, and honesty in the approach, more than Trowa himself carried. And the fact that he had just come forward, revealed his identity, stopped the fight, all without summoning any element to hand just in case, it made Trowa want to surrender far more than he wanted to continue his attack.

So he did. Moving slowly, he raised his bound arms and stood to his full height. The rocks broke away from his wrists unexpectedly and Trowa reached up to pull his own mask off. He let it drop and then returned to holding his hands up.

"Put your arms down," and the smile that accompanied the words was kind and amused. "I took my mask off first. You don't need to surrender to me." He took a step forward and bowed in a manner Trowa was not familiar with. "My name is Quatre Raberba."

"Trowa," he said, bowing as well in the way of the Nomads.

"You're hurt," Quatre said gently, stepping forward.

Trowa hadn't really noticed the trickle of blood from just behind his temple where a sharp stone had been reflected by his mask. He froze as Quatre reached up slowly, as though afraid to startle a wild animal, to touch the congealing blood. When Trowa did not pull away, Quatre drew closer, peering at the wound and carefully brushing past Trowa's long bangs to see the full extent of it.

When his fingers touched the airbender's arrow tattoo on his head concealed under all that hair, Trowa felt a jolt like being dropped into very hot water. Even Catherine had never touched his tattoos before. No one had, not since they'd been given to him. He'd never allowed it.

"I'm not a healer," Quatre said regretfully. "I can't fix this for you. But we've got a friend who can patch you up."

Trowa nodded wordlessly, his mouth suddenly dry. Quatre showed no reaction at all. How could he not have felt that? How could his heart not be pounding at that touch? Unless, of course, to Quatre, touch was not so unusual. And he seemed to have no tattoos of his own, either. But then, Trowa didn't know if airbender tattoos were supposed to be special somehow. He'd never taken the trouble to ask.

"You're very quiet for an airbender," Quatre remarked as he led Trowa towards the men that had recently been attacking him. It took Trowa a moment to realize he was being gently teased.

"I only talk when there's something worth saying," he returned. And found himself quirking a smile which he quickly tried to hide.

"All right. Trowa, these are the Maganacs. They're my friends and allies." Quatre pretended not to have seen the smile, but he was pleased nonetheless.

"Master Quatre," the single largest man Trowa had ever seen stepped out from the crowd. "Are you certain about this person?"

"I'm sure, Rashid. Trowa is like me, and fighting for the same thing."

Trowa looked at Quatre in surprise, then dropped his eyes to the mask still in Quatre's hands. He had known there were others besides Wufei, that he was part of a coordinated effort, but he had not expected to meet anyone else so soon. And he had, frankly, expected anyone he did meet to be more…soldier-like. Wufei had been a consummate firebending warrior. This young man spoke and acted like an aristocrat from one of the bigger cities, not a freedom fighter. But anyone who could command a legion of earthbenders had to be worthy somehow.

"As you say, Master Quatre." The giant bowed. "I am Rashid, commander of the Maganacs in the absence of Master Quatre. I apologize for our haste in attacking you. We will be glad to grant you shelter and whatever supplies you may need."

Trowa nodded stiffly.

"If I'm right, we'll be receiving new orders soon," Quatre said, looking back at Trowa. "You are welcome to stay with us until your messenger hawk finds you."

Quatre reached up and put a hand on Trowa's shoulder and it was all the airbender could do not to breathe in deeply enough to memorize the scent of this person, this oddly compelling Quatre Raberba beside him.

But as Quatre called for whoever served as their healer and began speaking to Rashid, Trowa strengthened his resolve. This was too dangerous. Something about Quatre made him want to relax and close his eyes and curl up in the warmth of his presence as sky bison liked to do in the sunlight.

And for that reason, he would leave as soon as he possibly could rather than risk what his heart seemed to want him to give.

-==OOO==-

Duo felt his face stretch into a grin so wide it threatened to split his mask in two. Soldier might be a stick in the mud, but he was _determined_. This was fun!

The group of Earth Kingdom guards proved an entertaining challenge for the temporarily one-armed earthbender and Duo's numerous daggers. But that squad had raised an alert so Duo and Soldier had been fighting their way out of the city ever since. At one point, Soldier had outright sneered at their opponents before, with one hand, relocating an entire hallway to clear their path. Somewhere around there, Duo decided he really liked this guy.

"So, what's the escape plan?"

"Um..." But maybe the feeling wouldn't be mutual after all. "Um, I'm open to ideas!"

"You're joking," Soldier turned his intense eyes on Duo in disbelief. "How could you possibly be so ill-prepared for your mission?"

"No, don't look at me like that. I _did_ have a plan. But we're a little off-course now. And besides, I'm more of a go-with-the-flow kind of guy." In the moment of running before the next squad caught up to them, he glanced upwards in thought. "I suppose, if we got out of the palace, we could use the canals. They run straight out of the inner ring."

"Acceptable."

Even as he turned to follow Soldier, trusting the earthbender to know better than himself which way to go, he mentally kicked himself.

"Just one thing," he said as Soldier shoved aside a wall and they were hit by bright sunlight. "I'm not sure I..."

"You're a waterbender," Soldier said firmly. "I can tell by the way you move."

"Yeah," Duo answered, grateful for the sudden ducking under some kind of shrubbery so he could hide his sigh in a pile of leaves, "but I'm not a very _good_ waterbender."

That actually caused Soldier to halt in surprise. He was obviously aware of the proximity of the next guards, or lack thereof, for he took a moment to regard Duo carefully. Duo wondered if the earthbender could decipher his expression behind the unagi mask. With earthbending senses as highly developed as this guy's, who knew?

"If you are of the Order, if you are one of us," Soldier's glance flicked down to where he had stowed his own mask, "you must be exceptional in some way. And I don't mean your rudimentary combat skills."

"Thanks for that, really."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know, but it won't help us in the river."

Suddenly Soldier smiled at him, not a dismissive or superior smirk, but a real smile. He held out a hand.

"You will find it in yourself, Shinigami. If your heart is great enough, you can move your element without limit."

Duo considered the hand. He reached out, only to have Soldier grip his wrist. He was moving slowly, so Duo didn't pull away, and after a moment found himself twisted into a position not unlike what Soldier had done when lifting the wall. It was a bending form, one of the most basic. He felt his bending stretch, felt the standing pools not far away responding to him.

"Of course I know how to do this," he grumbled. "I'm not _that_ much of a beginner."

"Then do it," Soldier ordered.

Duo took his arm back and moved towards the nearest pool of water, close to the outlet to the canal. He lifted his arms, not in a perfect pose he'd seen other waterbenders use, but in the one that worked for him. The waves of the pool churned in response, rising up as a wall.

"See?" he demanded, holding the position.

But Soldier stepped over and looked at him carefully, then at the water.

"Earthbending is a solid art, the power of which comes from single-minded stubbornness. Waterbending has always appeared to be about motion. This is the stillest I've seen you since you dropped into my cell. Why do you stop moving to bend?"

Duo made an exasperated noise. "Because I'm trying to pay attention to whether or not we've got a bunch of earthbending guards about to come after us!"

"We do," Soldier said measuredly, "but I can listen for you. Then you wouldn't have to look over your shoulder when you should be focused on your real skill."

"That'd be a first," Duo replied darkly. He'd spoken without thinking, and he was grateful the mask hid his sudden grimace at admitting too much.

There was a beat of silence. Duo expected the earthbender to react somehow, but he didn't. Instead, Soldier tensed and his eyes flicked to the left. But rather than turning to fight or starting to sprint ahead, he turned back to Duo. He smirked then, and stepped forward.

"A true bender can bend their element when encased in it, even without moving. When you are surrounded by your element, you will find the truth of yourself. Perhaps you just need to have reason to trust it."

And he jumped into the water of the canal.

Duo stared just a moment too long before following. The earthbender must be genuinely suicidal – he wouldn't be able to earthbend in the water and he could hardly swim with one arm. The guards following them would have a tougher time sensing them if they were in water, it was true, but if they did catch on, the pair of them would be extremely vulnerable even if Duo were an expert waterbender, which he clearly wasn't. And yet Soldier had just gone in. That was a stupid amount of trust for having just met.

Duo jumped into the canal, bending through it and swimming like a fish in the current that grew stronger with each canal and pool that poured into the city's artificial river. Soldier was a little ahead, gamely kicking along though it was obviously difficult for him to keep his head above water. In a moment, Duo caught up.

"You," he said breathlessly, "are crazy. Do you _want_ to die?"

Not waiting for an answer, he pulled off his mask and pushed it into his shirt. It was much harder to swim with it on. Soldier looked at him in surprise and Duo grinned self-consciously.

"Hi. I'm Duo. I run and hide, but I never tell a lie. And you _are_ crazy, but I'm going to complete this mission and get you out no matter what stunts you pull."

"Duo," Soldier considered. "Hn. My name is Heero."

"And it's gonna be mud if you don't stop doing this crazy stuff," Duo said sharply. Then he turned back to the situation at hand. He could sense the water clearly, the path from the inner ring to freedom open and clear of barriers. He just needed to get them there before the Earth Kingdom's army caught on to their plan.

"Okay. You wanted to prove you're some kind of secret waterbending teacher?" Duo challenged. "Let's see if I'm a good student."

He ducked back under the water and _let go_. Soldier – no, Heero – was counting on him to be better than his half-bender self. This canal felt like an artery to him, a single flow in a solid mass. He could be the heart of the water, as the water was the blood of Ba Sing Se. And if he became the water, became the current, then his heartbeat, his heartblood, was the water. It was not outside him. It was inside him. It was part of him.

It was just like bloodbending, but without the pain.

And like the moment years before when he had finally understood his own chi, understood how to move the energy in himself, he had an instant of clarity. Duo had been reborn in that moment of chi and blood as Shinigami long ago. Now, he felt the unagi mask against his heart and understood all at once that water, like blood, was also death in the right hands.

And death, unlike life, he could handle.

A torrent rose up in the canal and surged through Ba Sing Se with a single-minded force of will as it rushed forwards. Guards saw the swell of water but had only barely set their root when the rumbling wash was already passed. Those few who started to close the gates and locks found themselves battling instead to free themselves from stone suddenly lifted from the bank and wrapped around them.

Duo met Heero's eyes with a bright grin and he knew the glinting in the earthbender's eyes came from the same fierce joy. The water cradled them in an impenetrable, nimble ball, and the earth defended and supported them. They raced beyond the innermost ring of the city and followed the channels and waterways out to the wash that ran into Lake Laogai, well beyond the reach of the alarm to raise defenses in time to find them.

"Hey," Duo said as he set them on the far side of the lake, only a few steps from a fairly easy place through which either of them could escape the city either by earthbending the thin wall or passing through the sewage current (which was definitely not the preferable way, but it worked in a pinch), "thanks. Really."

"It came from you," Heero replied.

"Well, if you got anything else like that, I'd love to hear it," Duo shrugged. "Got plenty of time to listen now."

Heero tipped his head questioningly even as he began to stride towards the nearby wall.

"I have a mission."

"Not anymore," Duo shook his head. "Your bird will confirm it, but you're going to get new orders. You were in there a while and things have changed. We've got places to be, as fast as we can get there."

"Together?" There was so much disdain in Heero's face and voice at the word Duo burst out laughing.

"Why not?"

Heero punched through the wall and began to move away.

"Do as you wish."

-==OOO==-

Trowa looked across the warm firelight at his host and found himself shaking his head, a smile tugging at his face without his permission.

"You really just jumped off the fortress wall? And they believed you were a spirit?"

"Well, if you don't have to move, they don't think you're an airbender, since the only airbenders who can fly use gliders or wave their arms around a lot," Quatre grinned. "It's not my fault that people see what they want to see instead of what is there."

"So what is there, then?"

"My friends help me. They're mostly earthbenders who trained as sandbenders," Quatre explained. "In the dark or in low light, sandbending looks exactly like airbending, and the sand can carry me. So they make it look like the Blue Spirit is flying since I'm not bending anything."

"They're lifting you up, then," Trowa nodded in understanding. "That takes a great deal of trust on your part."

"Oh, not really. I owe the Maganacs everything because they owe me everything. It all balances out."

Trowa leaned back, thinking. His afternoon had gone very differently than he had expected. Quatre proved to be as good as his word, producing a man with skilled hands who declared Trowa's injury minor enough to not need a waterbending healer and had put a bandage on instead. Then, when Heavyarms had swooped in, message-less, Quatre had invited him to stay for dinner while his own hawk, Sandrock, was out. Dinner had turned into a tent in which he was welcome to stay the night or until he received orders.

Never once in all of their discussions had Trowa felt trapped. The only other time he had felt safe enough to remain – when not on a mission or needing to maintain a cover – had been with Wufei. Perhaps, though, that was part of being one of the Order's masks. Perhaps they were all uniquely nonthreatening to an airbender who would dedicate himself to nothing save the path the wind led him down. Or perhaps he was getting soft.

Trowa glanced across the fire at where Quatre had taken to staring into the flames in silence.

There was no awkwardness in not talking. There was no awkwardness in any of it, and the longer he stayed in this strange camp of desert-dwellers and the odd golden-haired Quatre, the more his wary first impressions of the latter faded. He still remembered that odd jolt at Quatre's touch, the odd scent in the air, but since then there had been nothing. Quatre had even put a hand on his shoulder while showing him to his tent and it had been devoid of that strangeness.

But then, the healer had mentioned that a blow to the head could make a person's senses abnormally heightened for a while, so perhaps that was all it had been. Trowa certainly felt much less interested in immediately fleeing the camp. Rather, he felt like he had with Wufei – that here was a place he could rest, a place he could allow someone else to keep watch, and all would be well.

He might not feel that way for long, and he might not take advantage of it for more than a night, but Trowa was content to let his instincts guide him for now. For as long as the wind was content to be still, so was its follower.

"Master Quatre," Rashid nodded in greeting to Trowa before turning his attention back to his boy. "The message you were waiting for is here," and he handed over a narrow slip of parchment.

"Thank you," he replied, smiling and bidding the large man goodnight before turning to the message. His eyes danced across it rapidly before he looked up. "It'll definitely be Republic City to which we are sent next," he said, "probably you as well as me. Things are coming to a head there and the Order seems to want a little more help on hand. You could travel with us if you want."

Trowa made a noncommittal sound in response. They stared into the dying fire in silence for a long time before, by unspoken agreement, both rose to go to their individual tents as the embers began to cool.

When Heavyarms woke Trowa just before dawn with his orders, which did include traveling to Republic City, he dressed quickly and hefted the shoulder-bag given to him by Quatre the night before. It was a kindness he had not expected, but he understood from the eloquent look in Quatre's eyes that to refuse it would cause more harm than to accept it.

He was only a few paces beyond the borders of the camp, slipping through the changing sentries at dawn, when the air told him someone was behind him.

"I'll see you again," Quatre said softly. Trowa turned, wondering how he had even known that his airbending guest was leaving.

"I know," was his reply.

"Be safe on the road to Republic City," Quatre raised a hand in farewell. "Goodbye, Trowa."

Trowa nodded and continued to walk, cognizant of the blue-green eyes fixed on him. Perhaps his head was still slightly wounded, for he felt as if he could still catch a tiny scent of Quatre on the wind long after he had left the camp behind.

-==OOO==-

Treize stalked through the long shadows, silent as the falling dusk, before striking his boot with the tip of the ceremonial whip he carried of habit.

"Enough!"

The power of his presence alone seemed to cause everything else to fall to stillness. He took in the scene.

His ship and its men had put into port for supplies before continuing back into Fire Nation waters in search of their opponents as ordered by the Fire Lord. Because theirs was a warship, Treize had simply avoided the politics of berthing in Republic City proper and had opted for this smaller fishing village down the western coast. Because it was such a small dock, however, his men did not have accommodations outside of the ship itself, so many had thrown up tents along the waterfront to build an impromptu camp.

It was at the border of this that the fight had begun.

"Who are you?" Treize asked, the lone, hooded figure holding fire between them so none could see the face clearly. "Why do you attack my men?"

"Your men shelter a murderer," came a raw, furious, _strong_ voice. "I have followed him and his allies over half the Earth Kingdom. He is the last of them and I will see justice for what they have done!"

"None of my men could be the person you seek," Treize replied reasonably, moving forward again and gesturing for the few guards who had not already been burned in the altercation to fall back. "We have only just arrived."

"As have I," sneered the other, "and yet I saw him slip into that encampment. If you protect that _slime_, I will destroy you all."

Treize turned to the nearest officer and spoke in a voice that most men hoped never to hear. "_Find him_." The officer practically squeaked in terror and ran. Treize turned back. "If what you say is true, he shall be brought to you."

"Not good enough." The hooded firebender twisted and his cape fell back, revealing the mask of the Sun Warriors. "Stand aside or face me."

Treize's mind moved quicker than lightning. _This_ before him was the man he was supposed to be seeking, the one who had attacked the Fire Nation. And yet, to drag this man back to the Fire Lord would not end the war – it would only incite it further as Fire Lord Dermail attempted to "prove" the involvement of his enemies. This warrior did not care that he was alone against a ship's full contingent of Fire Nation elite – he was seeking justice and he would find it. Treize found he did not want to drag this man away in chains for such a thing as seeking justice, and he had no desire to finish his mission so quickly, either.

He made a decision.

"Then perhaps a gentleman's agreement," he said, dropping his heavy outer cloak and weaponry. "If you can defeat me in single combat, you may search for your quarry here. If I defeat you, you must allow me to do with him as I wish."

"If you come between me and my enemy, I will fight you regardless," the masked firebender responded. But he nodded anyway and took a position opposite.

"And who is your enemy?" Treize asked.

"Anyone who stands against justice. Anyone who has blood on their hands from a dishonorable battle. Anyone who would turn this world to ash for the sake of power."

"Your struggle will never end. The enemy you describe is fate." Treize smiled anyway, his heart content. At last, someone worth the honor of battle.

"Then I'll fight forever!" And the masked firebender attacked.

The combat was intense, worse than an Agni Kai, because it had fewer rules. This was not a pure duel of firebending as both engaged in hand-to-hand combat when they closed with one another, and it was a battle neither was willing to lose. But Treize quickly realized that his opponent, while superb, could be beaten. For the Fire Nation prince knew that rage made one unbalanced, and lack of balance drew strength away in time.

"Where he able to settle his heart on something solid," Treize found himself thinking as he blocked a punch and twisted to strike with an elbow, "he would be unmatched among firebenders."

But in the end, it was the masked warrior who lay on the ground and Treize who stood above, victorious.

"Kill me, then."

"That was not our deal," Treize shook his head. "Besides, there is neither honor nor justice in your death here and now." He offered him a hand.

The firebender rolled away and got to his feet without help. "Find the murderer hiding with your people. He deserves worse than death for his crimes. You gave your word."

"And I shall." As the defeated warrior began to walk away, Treize cleared his throat. "We will fight again, you know," he called. "I am honor-bound to repay you for the damage you have done to the Fire Nation."

"When next we meet," he didn't even turn around, "if you duel me again, you will lose. I carry no guilt for my actions. I am on the path of justice, and I will not fail."

"No," Treize mused to himself as his opponent walked away, "no, I don't believe you will."


	11. Stand Together

I have to say, this chapter has one of my favorite scenes ever. Notes at the end, though, to explain a bit about it. Also, all my thanks to the various websites that have written up ALL the speeches from Gundam Wing. I borrowed quite a bit for Relena here direct from the original. It's amazing how changing the world for this story didn't change so much after all.

Also, congratulations saiyuri_dahlia on being the first to review! You win the third oneshot. At the end of the story, you get to pick one scene, any scene, and I'll write it up in the continuing series.

One left from the soundtrack game. Nobody's got it yet!

Type to you in a week! Enjoy!

* * *

Part 10: Stand Together

* * *

Relena closed her eyes and refused to fidget. She remembered her mother's advice from many years ago, the first time Relena had accompanied her father on Earth Kingdom business: "_People notice stillness. If you are still in the storm around you, all eyes will be on you. And when you hold their eyes, you can hold their hearts._" If there were ever a time she needed to command a room and hold the hearts within it...

"Relena?"

She turned to Noin, who squeezed her shoulder warmly. "Yes?"

"You can do this, Relena. We believe in you." Noin smiled, looking over the girl. They'd only been in Republic City since the noon hour, and yet already Relena was here, in the antechamber of the Council's room, and looking the part of a true Peacecraft. That was due to Zechs's preparations, of course, who had sent with them a gown worn by Relena's mother many years prior when she had been the wife of the Peacecraft. The long and flowing purple skirt, worked in silvery threads, spilled from beneath the white robe with the broad sleeves that had all four of the elemental colors represented. Relena's hair was no longer a mantle about her shoulders in its girlish fashion, but instead pulled to the nape of her neck, lending her an air of maturity.

"Thank you, Noin," Relena answered, nodding. "Whatever happens, thank you for standing beside me." She glanced at Noin's formal Earth Kingdom uniform and felt suitably impressed with the care Noin had taken to demonstrate her own authority.

"Your brother would be here if he could," she replied in a whisper, "so it is an honor to hold his place for him." Then, a little louder, "Remember, if anything goes wrong, just run. I'll protect you."

"I know."

A moment later, the doors were opened. "The petitioners from Earth King Noventa may now enter."

Noin moved first, Relena a step to the side and behind, not as a servant, but as one who was protected. The broad room was dome-shaped, its white walls and golden accents shining in the late afternoon light. In the center of the room on the broad dais was a large, oval-shaped table, around which sat eight men, the Council of Republic City. The largest chair at the end of the table stood empty, but the man to its right rose from his own.

"Noin of the Earth Kingdom, we greet you," he said, and there was weariness in his tone, but no malice. Relena looked more closely and could see the exhaustion across every face in the room. These men had fought against Chairman Dulindal's plans, had been powerless against his growing private authority, and, from what she understood from Noin, had in some cases been threatened with their lives had they dared cross him. _Like my father was_, she realized, e_xcept they survived and he did not. _Her heart went out to them.

"Members of the Council of Republic City," Noin said, bowing formally, "I bring to you this signed declaration from Earth King Noventa. I can personally attest to its truth."

She handed the scroll to the nearest man in the room, one of the guards, who carried up the dais and to the men. Practically the instant it was unrolled and the first of the Council began to read, there was an uproar.

Relena focused on holding perfectly still through the next long moments, breathing in and out and letting nothing touch her inner quiet. Each of the eight men had to read the scroll, and several of them were exclaiming in disbelief or anger or something else even before their companions had finished reading. Questions were spat at Noin rapidly, which she answered in the order in which they were shouted, never raising her voice and never budging so much as a hair from her perfectly calm stoicism.

They demanded to know the proof for Relena's identity. Noin told them an edited version of the story and produced items and facts that could not have been falsified. They argued about whether this secret kept constituted treachery by the Earth Kingdom against Republic City, or if it meant Marticus Peacecraft himself had been a traitor. Noin calmly and firmly reminded them of the threats that had been in place at the time and of their own predecessors' unlawful banishment of their hereditary leader. One of the members of the Council demanded to know what had happened to the other members of the Peacecraft family, and Noin replied, as planned, that the threats made long ago had been fulfilled and now only Relena remained.

Finally, the man who seemed to be the nominal leader amongst the eight pounded on the table for silence.

"Since you," he looked straight at Relena, who had not moved throughout the entire ordeal, "seem to be in the middle of all this, let us hear from you, Relena, daughter of Marticus Peacecraft."

This was it. Relena stepped forward without being invited, ascending the dais slowly until she stood across the table from them. These next moments were everything. They would decide her fate, the fate of Republic City, the fate of her father's dream. _Help me, father. _ She breathed out once, slowly, before she began to speak.

"I knew not of my father's true identity until recently," she began in a voice that was even, "but having learned of it, I stand before you and offer to assist you in any way I may. Republic City shines alone as a light of hope to the world that there may yet be peace, that people may yet live without war.

"I know you have been through a difficult time here. I know you have had a Chairman who was not interested in the unity of Republic City, and in him was reflected the difficulties of the world around us. Republic City is unique because it is one nation built of many peoples, people willing to be different and yet united. Republic City was founded on the ideal of the Avatar, where all may come together as one.

"Over the ages, the world has had many nations, many benders, and many ways of thinking. Perhaps we should accept the fact that a number of disputes in the past were unavoidable. Freedom is a right given to all people, and at the same time we must realize people cannot be given control in complete freedom. What we need to achieve complete harmony is to learn to be thoughtful toward others, for a peaceful future doesn't lie in fighting. It's our job to learn from our past and use that experience to build a new and correct future.

"I'm fully aware my manners and speech and behavior seem impolite to you, despite the fact that I'm merely following my father's teachings. But it's my sincere hope that more countries and more people can achieve true peace. To that end, I ask for your assistance. Please, allow me to join you in leading Republic City to peace."

The members of the Council exchanged glances.

"You ask for the post of Peacecraft," said the leader of the Council. "You ask us to entrust our city, our nation, to the untested hands of a very young idealist when the world stands on the brink of war. You must forgive us if we are hesitant."

"Of course I do," Relena replied. "But a Peacecraft is not a Chairman. I would not presume to lead, but to offer the perspective my father would have given if he were here. Together we must guide Republic City. I know only that it was my father's wish that I should take up his post and bring again his ideals to the world. I do not wish for power over you or anyone else. I am not the one who is powerful. I believe in the power of hope and trust. I believe in the power of peace."

"And if we choose not to reinstate you as the heir to your family's place?" one of the others asked. "If we choose to deny you the station of Peacecraft? Then what?"

"Then I will find another way to bring peace without war," Relena said firmly. "I have been charged with a duty and I will see it through." She remembered Heero, remembered his willingness to die, remembered how he saw his own life, and its lack of worth.

"I have to live for what my father died to protect," she said with the slightest hitch in her throat. "That is my duty now. If you do not wish me to follow that duty as a Peacecraft, then I shall do it only as Relena."

The members of the Council exchanged glances again. Relena noticed that they had before them each a set of pai sho tiles, and each man was now putting his fingers on one, sliding it forward. She could not make out the symbols from the wrong end of the table, but obviously they could.

"Noin," the leader of the Council said, "we thank you for bringing the daughter of Marticus Peacecraft to us. What are your orders from the Earth King?"

"I will remain with Relena until such time as General Zechs recalls me to my station," she replied easily. "Wherever she goes, I am bound to follow to protect and serve her."

"Then we will make rooms for you available." He smiled and bowed his head to Relena. "You have your mother's charm and your father's heart, and we dearly need both. Welcome to Republic City, Relena Peacecraft."

-==OOO==-

"So, where we headed?"

Heero looked at the braided waterbender who had accompanied him all the way from Ba Sing Se. As much as he had expected to hate being stuck with someone else, he had found the experience...oddly comfortable. There was certainly merit to not having to watch his back alone all the time, and Duo had proved to be more than willing to share the duties of travel, from setting up camp to stealing food when needed. On the other hand, Duo had seemed to have quite a bit more spare money than Heero would have expected, so the food-stealing was more for Duo's entertainment than actual need.

"There's a tea-house not far from here," Heero replied, winding through the throngs of people. "Wing's latest message said we'd find our contacts there. The Island Oasis."

"Yeah," Duo replied, but his face was more thoughtful. "Wonder who will be there."

"Does it matter?"

The fact that Duo didn't respond made Heero pause, but not for long as he didn't want to be crushed in the road. They were between one of the major marketplaces on the eastern side of Republic City and where the larger buildings started to grow up around the City Council building. The city was absolutely alive with people, talking and rushing about in a great frenzy – only yesterday, after all, had been the announcement of a new Peacecraft and the restoration of the Council to full power. Heero had been pleased.

"Come on," Duo grabbed Heero's elbow and yanked him off to the left, spotting the sign hanging over a relatively small shop backed against a number of other buildings. "Let's get some tea."

Inside, there were several tables, and to anyone not looking, it would have been exactly like every other tea-house in the city-state. But those of the Order knew the subtle signs, the themes in the hangings, even the colors that signaled a place where they would be known and sheltered. Heero and Duo walked straight back to a table in the far corner where two cups sat waiting.

"May I help you?" asked a voice.

"Jasmine tea, please," Heero stated firmly, ignoring the already-set table. "I have my own cup."

"Are you sure?" the serving girl raised an eyebrow and glancing down at the fragrant tea already evident on the table. "We have very fine pottery."

"If you'd let us wash our white saucer, we'd have a matched set," Duo put in, winking.

"Your feet seem to have come a long way," the girl was now watching them very carefully. "Perhaps you ought to wash them as well."

"If you've a place we could take off our boots, we would appreciate it," Heero finished.

"The jasmine tea will be waiting for you," the girl smiled and gestured. Duo and Heero rose, sharing a look of relief. With so few they could trust, it was a powerful, heady feeling to be in a place not only under the watch of the Order but, from the lengthy code needed, a stronghold.

They followed the girl, whom both had noticed palming a tiny throwing dagger (and they approved of her caution), ignoring her chatter about how they could wash up after their journey in the kitchen – it was just filler for anyone paying attention. Through where the tea was brewed into a little courtyard behind, there were long white sheets drying in the warm wind on strings strung between buildings. The sheets billowed around a small well to the right, beyond which was a door with a symbol scratched just above the door-handle. Heero and Duo bent to wash, but the moment the sheets shifted in the wind they were away across the dirt and through the door, concealed from every direction in a tunnel of white linen.

"It may all be code, but I really do hope there's food somewhere," Duo giggled as his eyes adjusted in the dimmer light of the room. Then, a moment later, he strode forward with a bright exclamation. "Cat! Aw, man, you did beat us here after all! I was hoping we'd get here before you so I could surprise you!"

"Duo!"

Heero tensed, but Duo threw an arm around the shoulder of a yellow-haired young man of their own age who was grinning.

"Nice work," the young man said, eyes flicking to Heero. "Glad to see he's okay."

"Was there any doubt? Good thing it was me and not you in there, though, 'cause he's a pain to deal with," he grinned. Then he looked back at his other friend. "Heero," Duo introduced him, "this is Quatre, codename Spirit," he ruffled the sunlight hair fondly. "He's the one who gave me all the money for our journey."

Heero nodded noncommittally. Quatre stepped up and offered a bow, which the earthbender returned after a moment. He was going to say something when the door opened behind him.

Two more forms entered, and the five stared at one another. Then, one who had just entered fixed his eyes on Quatre. "You made it," he said in a low voice.

"I'm happy to see you again," Quatre smiled.

"You know him?" the last of them nudged his shoulder.

"Yes. He's Spirit. Quatre. Looks like we all had the same orders to come here."

"Let's do some introductions for real," Duo smirked at Heero, who looked a little cagey amidst the suddenness of it all. "I'm Shinigami, and my name's Duo. I run, I hide, but I never tell a lie. That silent guy over there," he pointed, "is Soldier, whose name is Heero."

"I'm No-Name, but call me Trowa." He nodded at the rest in greeting.

"My name is Wufei, though you will have heard of me as Nataku," put in the last of them. "Do you all know one another?"

"I met OwlCat here a while ago," Duo said shrugging, "before I went to bail Heero out of the Earth Kingdom."

"I met him after I parted from you," Trowa turned to him. "I have never seen the others before."

"So," Wufei's eyes narrowed, "you are all of the Order, if you are here. And all masks. But why should I trust any of you?" He raised one shoulder at the look Trowa shot him in a half-shrug. "Excepting you, I have no reason to let my guard down for anyone here."

"Well, aren't you a suspicious guy?" Duo quipped. "Go ahead and glare at me – Heero does it all the time and I haven't backed down yet." He winked carelessly at Wufei's glower and moved farther into the room, which was comfortably furnished with several low tables and soft cushions. "Anybody got any food around here?"

"They'll bring us something to eat after a while," Quatre said.

"Duo saved my life," Heero spoke up unexpectedly, "so if he believes in you," he nodded to Quatre, "so will I."

"And I already know Trowa," Quatre smiled a little, "so I am willing to accept you on his word," he indicated Wufei.

"So we're all set!"

"I am not convinced," Wufei replied solidly. "I may accept Trowa's word, but I have no reason to trust yours. You may have been false to him, and so those for whom you vouch would also be false."

"Rose to first vertex, dawn, then."

Wufei's head snapped up and his eyes narrowed at Quatre. "Jasmine to third vertex, noon."

"White dragon to second vertex, nightfall." There was nothing soft and gentle in Quatre's face now. His expression had taken on the focus of a hunter circling prey, challenge and excitement lighting him from within. For the first time for everyone but Duo, who had fought beside him, he looked not like the soft aristocrat of his bearing and clothing, but the one who wore the Spirit mask.

"What are they doing?" Duo turned to Trowa, perplexed. The airbender's face was creased in amusement.

"Pai sho, obviously."

"What, in their heads?"

Trowa looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Unless you see a board between them." He waved at the empty air.

"The game of pai sho is more than a means of communicating with the Order or a simple pastime," Heero spoke up from where he leaned against the wall. "It is said to be the ultimate test of strategy and thinking. A player's moves reveal their true self. An astute opponent can read your intentions in the game you play. And only an intelligent mind can master the game at all, let alone play it remembering every position of every tile. They will learn more about one another this way than by hours of conversation."

"As will we, if we listen," Trowa nodded. He dropped to sit on a nearby carpet.

"Oh, whatever," Duo flopped down on the plushiest cushion on the ground. "Just let me know if one of them turns out to be a psychopath, all right?"

"Boat to third vertex, mid-noon."

"Stone to forth vertex, second of the morning."

Quatre and Wufei had not looked away from one another, not once. The world between them had narrowed to nothing but the board in their minds and the eyes that gave away everything. The air was charged with the intensity of the match that passed with the swiftness of heartbeats.

"Wheel to first vertex, midnight."

Wufei's face lit up in triumph. "Knotweed to second vertex, dawn."

Heero and Trowa exchanged glances. Neither was a master, but the Knotweed tile in dawn should, if they had followed things correctly, guarantee a victory for Wufei, and a decisive one at that.

"Are you sure?" Quatre asked softly, finally looking away for a moment and breaking their hyper focus.

"Of course I'm sure!" Wufei's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Very well. White Lotus, third vertex, midnight."

"The Full Moon?" Wufei's eyebrows nearly reached his hair. "How did you construct it without my realizing?" He stepped forward and offered a formal bow to Quatre, who returned it with one of his own.

"So...does that mean you're done?" Duo called sleepily from where he had curled up. "Who won?"

"I'm not sure," Heero admitted. "We are past my understanding."

"It's a strategy," Quatre explained. "The White Lotus tile is the most powerful, so it's placements can determine the outcome of any match if it is done carefully enough."

"Most players use the White Lotus to create a portion of the board which is utterly defensible, a bastion of territory that cannot be overrun, as I did," Wufei continued. "To hold the White Lotus to the end takes the ultimate patience and strategy, for there must be a perfect, concealed gap in which it can be useful, and that the other player will not see."

"So what did the game tell you?" Trowa asked, very specifically not showing his amusement.

"Wufei is intelligent and strong," Quatre said, looking at the firebender with bright eyes. "He knows what he wants and he is thoughtful in his approach, even if he may be lost in the moment when his emotions are roused. He is loyal only to his own goals, and absolutely determined to achieve them."

"Kind of you to say so," Wufei smirked slightly, "given that you trounced me completely."

"He did?" Duo sat up. "I got that he won from your face, but not that he'd beaten you into a pulp!"

"Yes, he did, if you must put it so crassly. The Full Moon refers to a pattern in which a White Lotus is played at the very end in the midnight portion of the board, and its placement effectively turns the entire game on its head. Until that move, I had a clear path to victory. Once Quatre called that tile, he dominated the board. It would seem," he looked at his opponent approvingly, "that he is wise and sees the long game even amidst the battle. Also, the Full Moon is a deceivingly powerful strategy that appears to be weak until the weakness shows itself to be strength. Take from that what you will."

But Wufei's mind appeared to be made up, and when Quatre smiled at him, he smiled back.

"So, no psychopaths?" Duo whispered to Heero, who pressed his lips together to prevent the smile that threatened and shook his head.

"No more than any of us, anyway," he said in an undertone.

"Great!" Duo threw his arms up in a sign of victory. "So now what?"

"I think that means we can be allies now," Trowa smiled a little. The atmosphere in the room had cleared, and while currents of mistrust and uncertainty remained, there was something in place now that had not been there before.

"Why are we here?" Wufei wanted to know. "What was the purpose?"

"You mean besides to rest up, regather supplies, and learn about one another?" Quatre asked, taking a seat at the center table. "You've all heard about Relena, the new Peacecraft of Republic City, right?" They nodded. "If our enemies were going to strike, this is the time and place. The Order of the Black Lotus cannot afford to let Republic City be governed by a true Peacecraft."

"So they'll be coming for her?" Heero's eyes narrowed.

"It's too obvious," Wufei disagreed. "It would be wiser for them to wait longer, to allay suspicions."

"Our orders brought us here," Trowa put in reasonably, "so that suggests _someone_ thinks we'll be needed. Besides, nobody ever said our enemies were particularly wise."

"Does that mean we just get to hang around for a while? I'm really tired of sleeping in the woods, and no offense Heero, but your rock beds aren't exactly comfortable." Duo waddled over to the table with his enormous cushion still firmly underneath him. He looked rather like a mushroom trying to wiggle across the floor, and he grinned when he reached his destination.

"Do better yourself, if you can," Heero returned sharply, but Duo had learned to see the tiny sliver of expression that meant the earthbender was joking with him. He stuck out his tongue.

"I have no intention of sitting here and waiting around for nothing," Wufei shook his head. "I have my own path to follow, no matter what the Order thinks about it."

"Wait."

Trowa rose smoothly from his place on the carpet and moved between the firebender and the door. His green eyes met blazing black ones.

"You better not be thinking of stopping me," Wufei warned.

"Wait," Trowa repeated. "I understand wanting to walk away. Believe me."

Quatre bit the inside of his cheek and said nothing. Trowa continued to talk.

"But Republic City has just made a decision that might well change the course of the world. We have no way of knowing what will happen next. You may not need us now, but how can you be so sure we will not need you?"

"I'm not interested in Order business right now," Wufei returned. "I've got my own battles to fight."

"Let us help you," Quatre stood up and moved over to join Trowa. "Duo and I made a pretty good team in Gaoling."

"And he worked well with me in Ba Sing Se," Heero added, not moving from his place leaning against the wall. Quatre nodded to him gratefully.

"We're not asking for a promise," Trowa put his hands up defensively, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "We all wear a mask. We are all fighting for the same thing, if not for the same reasons. If two together are better than one, what is five?"

"Until we try to kill each other," Duo said grinning and rocking on his cushion. "Then you're all on your own."

Wufei looked at the other four and found himself giving in. It had been different to share a camp with Trowa, better than being alone, and frankly he was exhausted in every way possible. It was worth it to have that companionship, even for a moment again. And if nothing else, they were correct that five might accomplish more than one alone.

But he looked up at Trowa and glared. "Agreed. However, if you sneak off in the middle of the night so dishonorably again, I _will_ find you and we _will_ have words. If I am staying, so are you."

"Oh, he did that to you, too?" Quatre asked, smiling brightly.

"No, I did not." Trowa folded his arms. As everyone looked at him, he shrugged. "I did not 'sneak off' in the middle of the night. It was early in the morning."

-==OOO==-

Elsewhere, a man with silvery-white hair dropped a scroll into the fire, watching it burn with glee. After a moment, he stepped from his private room to where the others waited.

"The time has come. We attack at dusk."

* * *

A/N:

So, originally I wrote the pai sho scene in ignorance of the fact that more than one fan has developed actual play for the game. After doing some research and finding out how cool A:TLA fans are, though, I looked around at different versions and interpretations, but I just couldn't get any of them to feel right for me. I rewatched the scenes in A:TLA where Iroh plays and noted how the tiles went down along the wheel-shaped grid the way _Go_ is played, but there were shaded wedges of the board like a clock that had some kind of bearing on the strategy as well. Now, A:TLA has a really inconsistent handling of time, where sometimes they mention things like "minutes" and "hours" and yet sometimes they're working with that one guy who develops the candle that sparks at regular intervals that he doesn't call hours. So I decided to name each of the wedges on the board after a part of the day that could be quantified without having to resolve that issue. I borrowed some of the known tile names from what others had already developed and kind of let it go from there. This is not in any way, shape, or form the "right" way to depict pai sho. It's just what made sense in my head. I hope it works!

I loved writing that scene, you guys. I've been waiting to pit the two brainiacs against each other for ages!


	12. Brothers Fall, Battles Turn

Time for things to get big, you guys.

Enjoy!

* * *

Part 11: Brothers Fall, Battles Turn

* * *

Republic City was formed of several peninsulas linked by earthen and metal bridges and bordered from the north and east by rather sharp mountainous ridges that rose up suddenly and faded away just as suddenly. Thus, though the city was on the coast of the Earth Kingdom, it was almost an island and had more trade by sea than through the passes between the plateaus. Legend was that Avatar Aang and Master Toph had raised the peninsulas from the sea itself to found the city of all peoples, but accidentally raised the neighboring land too high at the same time without noticing.

If everything Relena had ever read about Avatar Aang and his friends was true, she thought it might be possible. It seemed like the kind of thing that would happen to them.

She looked over the skyline contemplatively. It was so different from Ba Sing Se, where the inner ring buildings were all required to be no taller than the palace, and few were more than three stories tall, leaving no view but the ordered lines of the city itself. Republic City had towers compared to that, packed close together and shining in the approaching dusk as the sun lit up the mountainous basin beyond. The architecture displayed indications of all four peoples, really, if one knew where to look – the roofs of the Earth Kingdom, the flourishes of the Fire Nation, the colors of the Air Temples, and symbols of water on every wall along the shore. And there was an emerging style all their own, too, as more and more of the city was rendered by metal rather than stonework and by builders who grew up in a mixed world. But Relena was happiest with the stone buildings in the Earth Kingdom style. They reminded her of home.

She was grateful that the ancestral home of the Peacecraft was traditional and familiar. The palatial residence Chairman Dulindal had constructed was opulent and ostentatious and everything Relena didn't want for herself. She was not here to rule Republic City, she was here to serve it. The Peacecraft manor, while lovely, was even more simple than the neighboring residences of the Council members, within easy walking distance of the City's governing buildings, and yet humble compared to those public places. Still, it also afforded a spectacular view of the central peninsula and the ocean beyond.

But not so spectacular as the one Dulindal's residence must have. Relena turned to look up the northern ridge that loomed above the city to where that now-empty home stood.

Only to fall to her knees as a blast from behind her shook the very ground. Heat washed over her in a sickening wind.

"Relena!" Noin shouted, running out onto the balcony and pulling her to her feet with steady hands. Relena turned to look through the railing to see smoke curling from the City Center, where the Council met.

-==OOO==-

Five masked figures raced through the streets.

"Who's still following?" demanded the mask in the form of the Sun Warriors.

"Mine," called back the blank mask who ran at the front.

"And mine," shouted the Blue Spirit from the middle of the line. "They're heading towards the eastern ridge!"

"We need to move faster!" yelled the unagi mask.

"Mission accepted." The Earth Kingdom warrior stopped sprinting for a moment, pulling up a section of the road with a sharp gesture. He pressed his palms together and the portion of rock formed into a solid round disc of stone. He leaped to stand at the leading edge. "Come on."

The other four, somewhat ahead of him, all jumped to take a place on the stone slab before it ran them over. Now, with the speed of earthbending to help them, they could pay better attention to the skies.

"Nice going, Soldier." Duo grinned behind his mask.

"There's mine," Trowa said, pointing. Above, two hawks were visible, streaking through the air as they followed their targets. "Looks like they're going to end up at the eastern pass by the docks."

"Can we cut them off?" Wufei asked.

"Soldier, do you know the layout of this part of the city?" Quatre asked. At the quick head-shake, he put one hand on Heero's shoulder and pointed with the other. "Go that way until you reach the fountain. Then veer to the left along the brown road. That'll be the quickest way."

"Civilians?" Heero asked. Quatre shrugged.

"No more or fewer than anywhere else."

Other than Quatre's swift directions, they traveled in silence. Heero continued moving, pulling the disc along much faster than they could run, though it fatigued him. However, they had little choice. They'd only been sitting down to the promised tea and meal when their hawks, all five of them, came winging in the window with messages of dire warning. Moments later, as they reached the streets, they could feel the aftershocks of the explosion even deeper in the city.

The Order of the Black Lotus had struck, but they would not escape. Not without a fight. Heero's blood practically sang with it. Here were his enemies, and he had more reason than he'd ever had in his life to defeat them. They might have killed Relena, and he did not have the time to find out either way. If the Order of the Black Lotus had destroyed the first hope for Republic City in a generation, Heero would _bury_ them. _Literally_.

Seeing a huge crowd of people down their intended route, Quatre abruptly shouted for Heero to turn down a smaller alley, and the others had to flatten themselves on the stone slab to maintain their balance as he careened to the side. Quatre paused in his directions to pull Wufei to his feet, shooting a glance to Duo and Trowa to ensure they had managed the change in direction as well.

"What's the plan, Spirit?" Duo asked as he yanked his braid out from under Trowa's feet.

"We've got to hit them hard and fast," Quatre answered. "We don't know how many there are."

"Doesn't look like many from here," Trowa put in, pointing.

Their detour had brought them to a park, which gave them a clear line of sight to the pass to the east of Republic City that cut through the mountain ridge. Indeed, even from here, they could see a small crowd of black-clad individuals firebending and earthbending their way past the city guards and onto the road out of the city. There was a blind turn in the pass not far beyond the checkpoint, beyond which they could vanish into the fields and woods, and Heero dug his feet into the disc of earth to try to urge it faster. He could not let them get away.

They shot over the broad thoroughfare that led in one direction to the wharf and in the other back towards the city, past a few merchants' storage buildings, and closed the distance to the pass. Five or six Republic City guards littered the road in various states of injury or unconsciousness. The earthbender didn't even pause to look at them, instead kicking up a cloud of dirt as they approached, lifting higher so they could pass over the guards and up the road.

Suddenly Quatre threw out his arms and pitched himself backwards, knocking all four others off the earthen slab with a cry.

Metal and stone and fire crossed mere hand-spans from where they had been even as the disc crashed into the ground.

"What was that?" Wufei demanded, rolling amidst the heap of them and coming up on his feet, followed by the others.

"It's an ambush!" Quatre exclaimed.

From the buildings all along the road, buildings that should have housed merchants' wares and supplies, black-clad warriors were pouring in copious numbers. Dozens of them, practically an army, every single one wearing a piece of cloth to cover their face below the eyes, and every such disguise bore the symbol of the Order of the Black Lotus.

"We've got to get out of here," Trowa glanced around quickly. "There's too many civilians nearby."

The others turned to where he was looking, seeing that the park and road they had just crossed were now filling with a crowd of curious passersby. Someone else was sounding the alarm to raise the Republic City guards. And down at the wharf, several ships of the Fire Nation navy were unloading soldiers too, who were beginning to turn in their direction. In moments, the situation would be an all-out battle, with more than one nation represented.

"What's the call?" Duo again turned to Quatre. This time, the other three did as well. The Blue Spirit mask hid his expression, but they could practically see him vibrating as he thought quickly. It was the result of the pai sho game – there was no doubt amidst any of them now that the yellow-haired wearer of the mask was more than qualified to think through their situation.

"We've got to lead the Order away from Republic City," Quatre said after only a moment's silence while the others tensely set themselves defensibly against the remains of Heero's conveyance. "We can't let the City or the Fire Nation get pulled into this fight. And I bet they'll follow us. This is a setup, no doubt about it. We need to turn this trap into a trap of our own."

"Up the pass, then," Wufei nodded. "The ridge is narrow here, and beyond it is a vast farmland, sparsely populated. Soldier can even block off the pass after us to keep them from following."

"Split up," Heero said. "There may be even more of them on the other side." He turned his head to Trowa. "You're an airbender, right?"

"Yes."

"We will go over the pass first," Heero decided. "We'll occupy anyone waiting for you on the ground. You get this crowd to follow you into the fields out there. Draw them as far away as you can, and we'll guard the pass and handle whoever stays behind."

"Agreed," Quatre said. "But we need to find each other again after this." He spared only the tiniest glance upwards. "Regather at moonrise on the road to Makapu Village. There's a shrine not far from here. If you're not there, we'll assume you've been defeated."

"Acceptable," Heero gave one quick nod. Then he drew another section of earth upwards, smaller this time. Trowa jumped on agilely, already bending the air to help support Heero's earthbending. With tremendous speed, the stone section rose into the air and set off to head over the mountainous ridge itself, the two masked benders working together.

"Let's go," Wufei said decisively. "If we wish to avoid facing this conflict in the city, we must leave it at once."

Quatre and Duo fell in behind him and the three began to run for the pass.

A few individuals were concealed along the mountain road, but as soon as they moved to strike, they gave away their position. Wufei blasted flame and fury at those who revealed themselves while still at range, and Quatre, shotels in hand, slashed at those who closed with them.

In his peripheral vision, Quatre could see Duo bringing down opponents of his own, either those who emerged to attack from behind or those who got up again after Wufei's fire, his arm swollen as he bloodbended them into unconsciousness or worse. He noted that Duo seemed to be taking some care to keep his actions from being noticed by the firebender taking point. Quatre could understand how Duo might not want to share that particular talent with a complete stranger or alarm Wufei with it in the middle of a fight so he let it pass unmentioned.

As they emerged from the ridge, the trio immediately turned south to keep out of the way of where the remaining two masked fighters had taken up positions and were deep in the heart of battle. But Quatre sped up to pass Wufei and take the lead, racing for a line of trees beyond the nearest fields.

"We're going to have company," he shouted.

The other two looked back to find themselves pursued, and sped up as well. They had a head start and a well-timed blast from their airbending ally bought them even more distance and time to reach cover. However, when the three hit the treeline and kept moving, they made no efforts to hide. If they lost their pursuers, their enemies would double-back for Heero and Trowa and the plan depended upon them keeping a good portion of the force occupied.

Without a word, Quatre, Wufei, and Duo crashed along through the underbrush as quickly as they could, leading away as many opponents as would follow.

-==OOO==-

Heero knew any earthbender worth the title would sense their approach from over the ridge, as there was nothing really subtle about this earthbending, and certainly not at that speed. So he was not surprised when, moments after clearing the top of the steep plateau and beginning their descent, portions of the mountain began to break off and launch themselves at him.

What did surprise him was their quantity.

No-Name – Trowa – drew in a deep breath and blew out a gust of wind that helped to redirect the littler stones and all the clouds of dirt and dust in the air, but that left Heero to handle their slab of rock as well as everything else still incoming. With a contemptuous snarl, he ripped control of the largest boulder away from whoever had cast it at them and sent it careening into everything in its path, clearing them a way through. With the airbender to deflect the smashed remains, they didn't even have to slow down.

Heero spotted the largest contingent of the ambushers, raising an eyebrow behind his mask at how many there were, and angled them in that direction. It would have been a well-executed ambush, with multiple groups clustered around the pass, and even a full squad of earthbenders on the backs of eelhounds to chase them down if they had escaped. If the five masked fighters had rushed through the pass without anticipating it, they would have been surrounded and destroyed, obviously the intent of the Order of the Black Lotus who had sent them.

But Heero intended to make every one of them fail in their mission.

Well before they were even a tree's height from the closest wave of attackers, Trowa leaped off Heero's conveyance and threw himself into the air, tumbling over and over as he picked up momentum and wind-speed. When he landed, he brought with him a tornado that scattered the full complement of enemies gathered near into smaller, disorganized forces. Heero was pleased – most airbenders, even masters, seemed to rely too heavily on the advantages of the glider-staff, which was a useful tool but also a distraction if it were removed or damaged. Trowa moved the air better without it than some airbending masters Heero had known.

But then he was in his own battle against a large number of opponents, earthbenders, firebenders, and weapon-wielding soldiers aplenty. It should have been an overwhelming force.

But not against Heero. Not against Soldier.

Deep in combat, deflecting attacks, driving away inferior warriors, cutting off avenues of attack, he registered the fact that the other three had made it through the pass and were veering off to the southeast. He also spotted another squadron of earthbenders with eelhounds who managed to evade Trowa and took off after them. Heero didn't concern himself – Duo had proved to be a competent warrior, Wufei carried strength about him like a mantle, and Quatre was clever. If they could not defeat a few dozen opponents of this caliber, they would not still be alive.

A scream cut into his thoughts and he watched as one of the non-benders was tossed unbelievably high by Trowa's airbending as he had rushed in from behind. Trowa turned to meet another enemy but Heero caught something in the set of his shoulders, in the tension of his motions, that suggested the blankness of his mask was not echoed in his mind. It was another benefit of the metallic disguise – beyond their identities, it ensured that their true feelings were concealed as well.

Heero wondered if killing made Trowa as heartsick as it made him.

A cry from above drew Heero's attention. He knocked the nearest of his enemies away to look upwards, spotting Wing circling high above. The messenger hawks had been trained not to interrupt a battle, but the presence of Wing here now meant a message of such import that it could not wait for the quiet. Heero pulled a pillar of earth straight up beneath him, bringing him to a point towering above everyone else, and held out an arm for Wing's perch. Thankfully, the bird bore the message in one of the large tubes across its back, which was much easier to access in a hurry than the littler, more common carriers affixed to the leg.

Heero pulled out the message even as he tossed Wing back into the air and sent a portion of his earthen tower crashing back to the ground in the faces of a few firebenders who thought to burn him from below. He unrolled the scroll with one hand and read the short message in a single glance.

"_It is __time__. Seal the pass first._"

Heero dropped the scroll even as something dark and ugly settled into his stomach but he ignored any sensation except that which focused his bending to its truest heights. Now heedless of further attacks against his person, he turned to the dip in the low mountain and _reached_.

The top of the ridge exploded in a shower of house-sized boulders that rolled into the pass like thunder scattering clouds through the sky. Heero's body felt thin and brittle from pushing his bending beyond its normal limits, and this time it was aided by a sinking, screaming feeling inside. It felt as though all his bones were breaking at once, as if his bending were ripping them from inside his flesh and turning them to dust.

But his feelings didn't matter. Heero had earthbent the _entire_ mountain ridge and the pass was obliterated.

"Mission accepted," he croaked out.

He never even noticed the slab of stone that struck him from the tower as he fell into darkness.

-==OOO==-

"Mission accepted."

Trowa turned at the coldness in the words in time to see Heero falling. He didn't even stop to think – he just _moved_. A leap carried him high above his attackers, and from there it was second-nature to carry himself with the air and momentum towards Heero, but he could not intercept him in time.

The earthbender struck the ground with a sick sort of finality, his mask snapping loose. Blood leaked from a wound on the back of his head and his eyes were wide and unseeing.

Trowa felt something awful twist in his heart even as he pulled Heero under his arm and gathered an enormous swirl of wind to lift them up and away.

The mask of Soldier was left in the dirt like a gravestone.

-==OOO==-

"Spirit!"

Wufei turned to see Duo hunched over where the yellow-haired fighter had suddenly collapsed between one running stride and the next. He was clutching his chest and for a moment Wufei feared he had been struck by one of the earthbenders' knives or stones – the black-clad fighters seemed keen to throw anything earthy at the trio. Wufei blasted a torrent of fire towards their opponents and took advantage of their momentary pause while they dismounted their eelhounds to join the other two. Quatre had yanked his mask up on his head and was gulping air as though drowning.

"What's happened?" he demanded, seeing the paleness of Quatre's face but no blood on his hands.

"I don't know," Duo replied.

"It's Heero," Quatre gasped. He looked at them both and his eyes were desperate, lit almost fanatically. "He's in trouble, terrible danger. We've got to help him! We've got to…"

But the next instant, he had lurched to his feet and flung himself across Wufei, pulling the firebender to the ground. He made only a sub-vocal grunt when the metallic projectile, a wicked throwing-dagger, glanced off his shoulder – but had he not moved, Wufei might not have escaped a fatal blow. The pair had barely even struck the dirt before Duo was up and flinging his own daggers with deadly accuracy to remove the threat.

"Looks like these guys are getting ready for a real fight," he reported, eyeing the earthbenders.

"We've got to get to Soldier," Quatre said, disentangling himself from Wufei and wincing as he drew his injured arm to his chest. He was more collected now, enough to remember to use the codename instead of the real one, even pulling the mask back on fully. "He'll die if we don't hurry."

"How do you even know that?" Duo wanted to know.

"It doesn't matter," Wufei said, getting to his own feet and taking a position back-to-back with him. "Spirit has just saved my life and trusting him in this is what I owe him." He flicked a glance to Quatre. "I'm the fastest if I go alone."

"Do it," Quatre agreed. He gripped Wufei's arm with his good hand. "He and No-Name will need your help to survive their escape. Then get to Gundam Island as fast as you can – there's a healer there you can trust if you give them my name. We'll meet you there."

"A different meeting place?" The surprise was clear in the firebender's voice.

"It's safer there," was the answer. "We'll need a secure place."

"Are you strong enough to handle this?" Wufei's eyes flicked over the array of earthbenders who were digging themselves into a circular position around them.

"Believe me, we got this," Duo said savagely. "Go get those guys already. Tell Soldier if he dies, I'll kill him."

Wufei nodded once, shared a blazing look with the two of them that was clear in spite of the masks, and took off running. He leaped over the head of a surprised earthbender and dropped into the saddle of the eelhound tethered nearby. A jet of flame set the creature free and Wufei turned it towards the city. He never looked back as the eelhound bounded into a full sprint and disappeared.

"Sure this was a good idea?" Duo asked Quatre, almost playfully. "Not that I'm doubting you, of course."

"I'm sure. Soldier can't die. We need him too much," Quatre replied. He rotated his shoulders and moved into the spot at Duo's back that Wufei had abandoned. "How many are there?"

"Not more than thirty."

"How long until you can bloodbend again?"

"A little while. I'm as much a non-bender as you right now," Duo said, rolling to one side, with Quatre following him to evade a crush of stone. "Got a plan?"

Quatre spared a moment to grin darkly even though it was hidden behind the visage of the Blue Spirit, still keeping an eye on the earthbenders who were now moving closer as their confidence grew. "Always."


	13. Suffered Losses

So, I'm tossing around the idea of upping the posting schedule to twice a week instead of once. See, the deal I made with myself a couple of years ago was to always have a new chapter or oneshot going up at least once a week – it keeps me focused and I don't let myself just stop writing. But now, between this story, 3 oneshots, and the next of my twisted fairytales that I finished a month ago, I've got enough material that, even before the oneshots series that will follow Tears of Revelry I have something to post every weekend all the way to the end of 2014! And that seems kind of ridiculous. On the other hand, if I up the posting schedule and then get busy or stuck, I might run out and that would kind of break my heart.

What do you guys think? Opinions? Do you like it once a week or would you prefer more? Those of you who are reading this story get all the votes – you're the ones keeping me going every day I add to the next story in my cycle of creativity.

Anyway, on with this tale. Our boys have some tough times ahead.

Enjoy!

* * *

Part 12: Suffered Losses

* * *

Trowa had to stop after a pretty short distance – airbenders couldn't actually fly, no matter what the rumors said, not without a glider or a bison. But his fast, long leaping was enough to evade the black-clad benders who might have tried to follow. He dropped into a bushy tree, letting the branches slow his fall as he bounced off them. Heero, thrown over a shoulder, never even moved.

"I've got to get farther away," Trowa said to himself as they came to rest at the base of the trunk. He pulled off his mask and checked to make sure Heero was still breathing, which he was, but he was also still bleeding.

Remembering an old trick from his days on the road, Trowa pulled up a portion of moss. He pressed it against the back of Heero's head and then drew in breath. When he blew out, airbending as he went, he cooled the air significantly. The moss became hard as the water inside the plants froze, and the whole mat of it adhered itself to the back of Heero's head, freezing to his hair. He blew on it once more to chill it further, then tore a strip from his shirt and bound it in place. The cold would help stop the flow of blood as well as bring down the swelling.

Assuming Heero survived long enough to care about swelling.

Trowa again hoisted Heero onto his shoulder and began walking briskly through the undergrowth. He had to get away from the site of the battle, far enough that he would not be followed. After that, it depended on what happened to Heero. He had no way of finding the others if they missed their rendezvous. And he certainly wasn't going to go _towards_ the forces arrayed against him. He felt a crawling fear rise up in his stomach and pushed it down firmly. His feelings were immaterial. He needed to be disconnected and serene.

But he did wonder why exactly he was so bothered. The earthbender was an ally, certainly, but that wasn't reason enough for it to shake him as much as it had; Soldier was a stranger, and yet he felt the same sense of being drawn in that he had with Wufei and Quatre and Cathy before them.

Before he could ponder it more, there was a crashing in the brush behind him. Trowa tasted the air – many people, all coming his way.

He shifted Heero slightly in his grip and pushed air beneath and behind him to speed away.

-==OOO==-

"Heads up, Spirit!" Duo yelled.

Quatre spun where he stood, shotels flashing in the dusky sunset light, knocking a stone out of the air. He followed it up with a whirling slash that yanked the attacking earthbender's legs out from under him. Before the bender's head had hit the ground, Quatre had knocked him out with the hilt of one shotel.

"Nice!" Duo cheered. The waterbender had not regained his ability to bloodbend, but they hadn't really seemed to need it. Both Duo and Quatre were adept at hand-to-hand fighting, and by getting up close and personal with the earthbenders, they had negated a lot of their opponents' advantage. It was much harder, after all, to chuck rocks at someone who was a finger's width from your face.

"Hey, Shinigami," Quatre called, stepping into the space of another earthbender and neatly upending him, "how about a lift?" He crossed his shotels expectantly.

"Yeah!"

Duo smashed the point of his elbow into one guy's throat, dropping him, and ran up. With lithe grace, the braided waterbender stepped onto the crossed shotels and pushed off just as Quatre flung him upwards with all his strength. Duo gained height normally left to airbenders, and as he spun crazily through the air, he flung everything he'd picked up along the course of the battle – throwing knives he'd caught in midair, small daggers, even a few sharp stones fashioned by earthbenders into makeshift arrowheads. He was like a flower bursting with pollen, except in his case that pollen was deadly. By the time Duo landed, more than half their remaining opponents were down.

"I think we better wrap this up," Duo commented. "Saw something from up there."

"I know," Quatre replied as he again moved to stand back-to-back with his ally. "Most of the force the others were holding off is heading our way, with only a few following No-Name and Soldier. We're going to have half an army on top of us soon."

"Where are these guys coming from? What's the point of it?"

"I'm not sure yet."

Quatre stepped forward a pace to knock a small stone from the air, but he had to dodge to the left to evade a larger boulder, and when he came up rolling he hissed at the pain in his shoulder from the injury he'd taken protecting Wufei. He'd been ignoring it successfully, but jamming it into the ground reminded him that Heero wasn't the only one who probably needed a healer.

"So what's the plan?" Duo asked, filling in the gap in Quatre's defense while he got back to his feet by picking up a sword and throwing it like a spear.

"Well..." The idea came to him all in a flash. And while Quatre might have cringed behind his mask at the coldness of it, Spirit did not hesitate. "Be ready to disappear into the trees," he said quietly.

"You got it."

There were only a handful of guards left and among them only one earthbender, but the ground was rumbling from the approach of the others. If the remaining ambushers got much closer, Quatre knew he and Duo wouldn't be able to run faster than they could be followed by someone with a strong earth sense. He needed to stop the fight long enough for them to put some real distance between themselves and their enemies.

And the handful of enemies already present were all in one formation off to the side and needed only be distracted.

Quatre let out a high, fierce whistle and a form dropped to his arm from above. He spared only the tiniest second to run a hand over the feathered head he knew so well before he gave Sandrock his last command and threw the messenger hawk at the attackers.

"Come on!" he shouted, grabbing Duo's arm and pulling. With the sun nearly set, they could vanish in the long shadows of the trees within moments.

"But!" Duo couldn't help hesitating. Quatre had just thrown his hawk, his means of communicating with the Order as well as what was probably a very well-liked pet and friend, into the arms of killers who would not hesitate to execute the bird. But Sandrock was strong and loyal, and the hawk was making good use of his talons and broad wings, blocking their enemies and ensuring an escape.

"I know," Quatre tugged at Duo again. "Believe me, I _know_. But we have to get out of here. We have to get to Gundam Island. If I could have thought of anything else..."

"It's okay," Duo turned his arm in the grip that held him and latched onto Quatre's elbow. "They're so busy dealing with your buddy, we're going to survive this. I hate to say it, but it's worth it."

"I know," Quatre said again. He cringed as there was a high, keening shriek from behind them, and then nothing.

They continued to run.

-==OOO==-

Wufei was never so grateful for his experience tracking his cantankerous old uncle across the world as he was that evening. A lifetime of seeking a man who distinctly did not want to be found had given the firebender a unique sense for anticipating the movements of someone evading others. He had already tried whistling for Shenlong, who could have located Trowa from the air and led the way, but his hawk must have been detained somehow.

It didn't matter very much; Wufei had only to glance at the site of the battle outside the cliffs of Republic City to learn which direction Trowa had gone, Heero presumably with him. It seemed that whatever opponents remained had taken off in a wild stampede, making no attempt to hide their movements as they pursued the airbender. Wufei needed only track them and then get ahead of them.

But he was brought up short looking at the cliff itself. What had once been a narrow pass between two ridges that were part hills and part natural barricades for the city had been utterly closed. A cold shiver went down Wufei's spine. To bend so much earth, to move a mountain, was the sort of exertion that had killed foolish benders throughout the ages as their hearts and minds simply _stopped_ from the effort.

"If he still lives after that," he said to himself, "he may be an earthbender like few I've ever studied."

Wufei turned the eelhound and dug his heels into its flanks, spurring it forward with a bound. In moments he was moving across the ground as quickly as the wind.

It took less time than Wufei would have expected to reach his adversaries until he realized that the group of them had only a few eelhounds between them – it seemed most of the mounted troops had instead broken off to converge on Quatre and Duo's position. That simplified Wufei's situation but he immediately wondered if leaving two non-benders behind was going to result in their deaths.

So perhaps his lance of fire to sear and strike down the other eelhounds before him was sharper than usual. He called flame into the air and aimed for the animal's rider first, then its head. With the four mounted opponents he encountered, he only ended up having to maim one of the eelhounds as the others reared or their riders fell off, rendering them no threat at all. Those on foot who chased after Trowa and Heero were easy enough to contain by setting fire alight on the ground all around them – by the time they escaped his inferno, he would be far ahead of them.

At last Shenlong appeared, winging out of the sky with a cry. He landed on Wufei's arm only long enough for the firebender to establish that there was no message waiting for him. Then he gave his curt order to find Trowa and the hawk was away. When Wufei spotted Shenlong in the air alongside another messenger hawk, this one familiar, he needed no further direction. He and his eelhound were off like lightning into the undergrowth.

"Nataku!"

The cry was pitched low, but Wufei heard it anyway and slowed. The familiar face, without its mask, popped up from within a thick clump of bushes. Leaves stuck out of the brown hair, putting Trowa's appearance at odds with the seriousness of his expression.

"Is he alive?" Wufei asked.

"Yes," Trowa replied, lifting himself with air, Heero across his shoulders, until he stood clear of the bushes. "But he needs more help than I can give him."

"Come on," Wufei leaned down, offering a hand. Trowa did not hesitate, pulling himself up onto the back of the eelhound and shifting Heero so that the earthbender was locked between them, his head falling back onto Trowa's shoulder.

"Where will we go?" Trowa asked.

Wufei removed his own mask, stowing it in the bag that hung at the eelhound's side. A quick glance told him that his mount had been carrying some basic provisions but nothing particularly valuable.

"Quatre told me to take you to Gundam Island," Wufei answered, turning the eelhound to the north and urging it to a quick trot rather than its usual sprint. "I confess, I don't know where that is."

"You don't?" Trowa was surprised. "The Order confirmed its location in my last set of instructions."

"Well, I don't always acknowledge all their petty orders," Wufei grumbled. "Where is it?"

"It's a small island in the archipelago between the mountains that house the Western Air Temple and the Fire Nation to the south," Trowa explained.

"There is no island there," Wufei shook his head, visualizing his well-worn maps of the Fire Nation in his mind. "Unless you mean the old Boiling Rock prison."

"No, I don't. There _wasn't_ an island there, but there is now," Trowa shrugged. "The Order created it as a secret place for those of us who might need it. Gundam Island isn't on a map and has never been shared with outsiders. The airbenders in the area know about it, of course, but don't really care."

"Created it?"

"Don't ask me how," Trowa shrugged again. "I'm not an earthbender."

"Speaking of which," Wufei urged the eelhound to move more quickly, "how are we going to get him there?"

"Don't eelhounds swim?"

"Obviously," Wufei sneered. "But unless you can tell me you know exactly where it is, I don't want to sit on this thing swimming around in the middle of the ocean until it tires and we all drown."

"I do know where it is," Trowa returned with an amused snort, "but not well enough to navigate from in the water without a map. You're right. We'll have to get a ride or come in another way."

Wufei shifted on the eelhound, feeling the odd stillness of the earthbender behind him. He frowned. Allies or not, this was a true warrior. He should not die this way, even if it was an honorable sacrifice, and Wufei was not certain he could prevent it. At best pace, it would take the eelhound more than a day, possibly two, to get to this island healer. He wondered if it would be enough.

"When we get close," Trowa spoke up again, "I'll take care of transport."

"Very well."

Wufei urged the eelhound to its top speed and stared fixedly at the horizon. He could only go forward and hope that the earthbender proved to be strong enough to remain with them.

It was past the following dawn when they stopped for the first time, long enough to acquire some real provisions and re-bandage Heero's wound. The blood had finally slowed, but he was no closer to returning to consciousness. Trowa suggested they continue on to the west, noting that the closer they were to the Western Air Temple, the more likely they were to come across some nomads or someone he might know. And nomads in this part of the world tended to travel by air rather than land.

As they passed into the truly remote eastern edge of the continent, Trowa sent Heavyarms ahead looking for an ally. The hawk returned several times over the course of the morning before at last he came bearing a message.

"What does it say?" Wufei asked, taking the opportunity to stop and stretch. Eelhounds were well-designed for travel but no one's legs were really designed to hold still like that for so long.

"She'll help us."

Which is how Wufei came to make the acquaintance of Catherine. The circus Trowa had joined had been heading towards the Western Air Temple anyway, and not only did Trowa know and trust the troupe enough to return to them, but he knew something else: they had with them one of the rare remaining sky bison.

"Trowa!" Catherine smiled brightly as the eelhound came to a stop. The circus had set up for the night in a low valley, so they had agreed to meet above the ridge, out of sight of the camp. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," he answered, swinging down from the eelhound's back and carefully sliding Heero to the ground. "But he's not. I need to borrow Triton." But his purposeful words belied the softness of his expression, and when Catherine opened her arms, Trowa stepped into them for a fierce, brief hug.

"Oh. Sure," Catherine took in the unconscious Heero in a swift glance and then looked to where Wufei was stroking the eelhound's head. "Is this your friend?"

"Yes," Wufei affirmed, daring Trowa to contradict him. "Wufei."

"I'm Catherine, but you can call me Cathy if you like," she smiled. "I'm glad to know Trowa's got more than one person in the world he can trust."

The two benders exchanged an unreadable glance.

"Triton will be glad to see you again too," Cathy continued easily. "He likes you. Of course he does."

"Triton?"

"He was my brother's sky bison," she turned to Wufei, her face falling slightly. "When my brother was killed, he stayed with me. He performs with us sometimes, when he feels like it. He only really likes me and Trowa."

"How soon can we go?" Trowa asked, and though the question was abrupt his face was still soft as he said it.

"Right now," she answered. "Triton's already saddled and all, and he's not going to be needed for a while. Sometimes when we're in this area he just wanders off, so nobody will even need to know you took him."

"Thank you, Cathy," Trowa said, meeting her eyes. "There's nobody else I would want to ask. Nobody else I _could_ ask."

"I know," she said softly. The she whistled brightly. Within moments the huge, gracefully-lumbering form of a sky bison appeared, landing easily. Trowa stepped forward and the great beast immediately passed his enormous tongue over the airbender. Upon seeing the furry, large-toothed creature, the eelhound tried to run, but Wufei held its reins tightly. He stroked its head until it stopped fighting him, then he turned to the girl, sharp black eyes taking in her clear eyes, her purple clothing, her agile build. But mostly the fond way she watched Trowa and Triton. He made a decision.

"Keep him," he said, holding out the lead. "We may need him again, and I'd rather he be with someone we could trust. He's smart and very good at what he does."

"Oh!" she took the reins and looked into the eelhound's intelligent face, running her hands over his nose gently. "I can do that. If you're sure, that is."

"He's only been mine for a few days," Wufei said vaguely. "I'm not attached to him. And he can't come with us anyway."

"Okay. We could always use him, and he'll eat less than Triton does anyway. Does he have a name?"

"Call him whatever you want."

"We're ready," Trowa reported, having finally extricated himself from the bison's affections and checking the brightly-colored saddle. He called up a gust of wind to lift Heero and deposit him on the saddle. Wufei took their sack of supplies from the eelhound and bowed politely to Catherine.

"Thank you," he said stiffly.

"Just take care of each other," she replied, her face a little drawn and tight as she looked at Trowa. But she only waved as Triton took off, Trowa seated comfortably on his head.

Heavyarms and Shenlong both winged in, sitting primly beside one another on the saddle's edge. The hawk that must have belonged to Heero, though they did not know its name, stopped its incessant circling, which it had been doing since Heero's fall outside the city, and landed beside them, squawking defiantly. Wufei wrapped one of the flowing pieces of brocade that was meant for decoration around Heero. They flew in silence until the sun was low in the sky. Wufei was tempted to ask Trowa about the girl, about why the bison liked him in particular (or was it just part of being an airbender?), but kept his thoughts to himself.

"There," Trowa pointed. In the middle of the water, a perfectly round piece of land emerged from the dusky falling dark. It was as though a mountain had risen from the sea and then been flattened until it was a disc that seemed almost to float. A few spots of light suggested people and settlements.

"Have you been here before?" Wufei asked.

"No. But Quatre said there was a healer we could trust if we gave his name, right? We'll start there."

"If it is, as you say, part of the Order, we should not be in danger while we are here," Wufei said thoughtfully. But somehow his heart felt uneasy, and a glance at Trowa told him the airbender was equally cautious.

They touched down on the beach, near a source of some of the firelight seen from above. Triton had barely just settled his feet in the sand when the door of the nearest house opened and two figures emerged. One was a woman, tall and elegant, her hair a particularly delicate color of brown painted gold in the vanishing sunlight. The other was a man not much taller than the boys, his black beard and mustache carefully combed. Both wore clothing far more fine than anything homespun.

"Who are you?" the man demanded suspiciously. "Why are you here?"

"Quatre sent us," Wufei spoke up, tension in his whole body. "He said we could trust whoever we found. We need a healer."

"Prove it." The woman crossed her arms, her blue eyes glittering. "Prove you know Quatre and didn't just steal one of his messages."

"Quatre's hawk is called Sandrock," Trowa answered evenly. "And he wears a mask of the Blue Spirit, colored in grey. He shelters with men called the Maganacs, and they call him Master Quatre."

Wufei's eyes widened in surprised curiosity but he said nothing. The man and woman relaxed almost at once.

"You must need help," the woman said, moving forward. "Quatre wouldn't have sent you to me without it being serious."

"Are _you_ a healer?" Wufei glanced at her finery.

"Yes, of course," she said, tossing her head. "Who is injured?"

"Here," Trowa stood and carefully let himself down from Triton, Heero still and unmoving in his arms. "He was hit with a boulder more than a day ago, and he may have exhausted himself bending."

"You must all be masks like Quatre for him to bring you to us," the man said, offering a bow to Wufei who had also descended. "Please forgive our rudeness. Even among the Order, we do not trust lightly. My name is Sada. This," he gestured to the woman who was already running her hands over Heero, "is Iria Raberba, Quatre's oldest sister. Welcome to Gundam Island, sanctuary to the White Lotus."


End file.
